The Road to Confidence
by Aecoris
Summary: Sequel to 'The Missing Piece'. 8 years later. John leaves the boys and the 2 of them find themselves in the middle of the hunt. All the while both boys are taking small steps to gain confidence in places where it didn't exist before. COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

_Hey everyone! This is the sequel and next story in the series of 'The Missing Piece'! You'd probably have to read that to understand this one! Although you might not need to, but I do recommend it! Sam's 22 and Dean's 26. Basically in this story John has to leave on a hunt and leaves Sam and Dean back to relax. They attempt that but of course they end up getting thrown in the middle of a hunt! The boys will face more basic challenges in this story where they try to gain more confidence and belief in themselves that they never had before. Sam will have the most challenges and the story will focus around him, but Dean of course will be in it a great deal! I don't want to give too much away but I will tell you I have to whole thing planned. Lots of doubt and emotional hurt on Sam's part and lots of guilt for Dean! Enjoy!_

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* * *

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It was quiet as the man quietly made his way through the old cars and piles of junk. He peered over to the house that the junkyard belonged to, cursing quietly that it could not enter the house. There were way too many protective barriers around it, but luckily there was no protections out here, only debris. He would have to wait until his prey exited the building, which would have to happen soon. The man could feel it, any minute now the hunter would leave his house, tempted to get in his car and to his friends by the fake phone call he received.

He looked up at the pitch black sky overcast with clouds. It was the perfect evening to grab a hunter not suspecting an attack. He smiled to himself at the thought. Just another poor useless hunter, so dumb and foolish. These hunters really shouldn't travel alone.

The man got his wish when the hunter came hurrying out of the house, in a panic to get to his friends who he thought were in danger. Poor fool couldn't even recognize a false phone call when he heard it.

The smirking man silently and efficiently made his way trough the maze of junk to get behind the hunter. The hunter was just fumbling with his keys to a car when the man grabbed him and slammed the hunter's head against his own car, knocking him out on impact.

The man chuckled and flashed his black eyes down at the pitiful hunter. "Not so tough now are you Bobby Singer?"

* * *

Sam shot up in bed hundreds of miles away in Michigan with his heart pounding. _What the hell had just happened??_

He had a dream, but not just any dream. It had been a vision, he knew that for sure. The whole thing was so real and it was almost as if Sam had been there himself. But unlike most of his visions, this one had involved someone he knew, someone he was close to.

Sam wiped a shaking hand across his forehead and it came back with sweat, another sign of a vision. Sam turned onto his side and was welcomed with the sight of his older brother drooling next to him. He looked over to the other bed and saw that his dad was asleep as well. He hated to wake them but he had to let them know about this. This was serious, Bobby was in trouble.

"Dean!" Sam called out to his brother and shook him not so gently as he did so. Dean moaned and his arm came around limply to smack Sam right in the face.

"Shuddup, 'm sleepin'..." Came Dean's tired reply but Sam wouldn't have any of it. He got right next to Dean's ear and screamed.

"DEAN!"

Dean shot out of bed so fast that Sam almost didn't catch it. His legs got twisted in the sheets and the next thing Sam knew he was in a pile of blankets on the ground. It would have been hilarious other than the situation. John shot up out of bed as well but didn't fall out of bed like Dean.

"What?! Somethin' wrong? You okay??" Dean asked wildly, now wide awake. When Sam looked perfectly fine Dean growled.

"What the hell are you wakin' me up for Sammy??" Dean hissed but then he must have seen Sam's frightened expression because then he said. "What's wrong? Sammy, you have a vision?"

The light was flicked on and in a second John was sitting on the bed next to Sam. "What was it Sammy?"

Sam looked his father in the eyes. "A vision." Sam told him

John looked a little confused. Sam had a good amount of visions before this. In some of those visions they had enough information where they were able to find the person and help them. And a good amount of those people had been saved. The visions did freak Sam out but he hadn't acted this jumpy since his first few visions and that's why John was confused.

"Did you see enough to be able to locate the person?" John asked but Sam shook his head wildly. Sam saw that Dean had joined them by sitting near the end of the bed, looking worried.

"No Dad. This wasn't just any vision. It was Bobby."

That got both Dean and John's attention. "What happened? This wasn't a death vision was it?" John asked him and Dean got up and began packing.

"No. I just saw a demon sneaking around his place and then he knocked Bobby out in his yard." Sam informed him. "We have to get there now."

"Just wait a second Sammy. Dean, quit packing for a minute. Before we do anything I'll try to call Bobby. If he answers I'll tell him to get out of there and come join us." John explained and then went to dial Bobby's number. When no one answered he looked at his boys. "There's no answer."

"God dammit! What do demons want with Bobby?! Was it the yellow eyed demon??" Dean asked and looked at his brother.

"No, it's eyes were black. Just like a low-class demon."

"Bobby let himself get attacked by a low-class everyday demon?" Dean cocked his eyebrow. It wasn't everyday that a hunter got taken advantage of by a single demon.

"It was just waiting there, lurking around his house. Bobby came running out, I don't know why. He went to get in his car and the demon grabbed him and smashed his head into a car. It knew his name though." Sam told them.

John, who had been sitting there deep in thought glanced at Sam when he said that. "Boys, I think this might be something serious. I need to get there as quick as possible. If the demon didn't kill Bobby when he found him then he wants him for something else. And I can't waste any time."

"Alright then, let's get going." Dean said and started to pack again.

"Dean, no. I...I want you boys to stay here."

"What??" Came a shocked gasp from both brothers. The three of them have always gone on hunts together ever since Sam and Dean graduated from high school. There was never one time when they have split up. They worked as a team, falling into easy routines. Sam might not be able to do all the creature-chasing in some hunts but he played a big role in all of them some way. With them splitting up, that routine would break. And John would be all alone on a hunt. He wasn't used to hunting alone anymore, it would throw him off.

"Dad, no! We're coming with you! Why wouldn't we?" Dean asked, sounding hurt.

"We can handle a demon Dad, it shouldn't be that hard." Sam butted in.

John sighed and ran a hand over his face, it was obvious that it was hard for him to say this. John had become an exceptionally better father over the years, all thanks to Sam rejoining the family. He still wasn't going to win any father of the year awards but he had made a great deal of effort to be there for his boys when they needed him. And helping them out with things other than hunting. He didn't like to see his boys hurting.

"I have a feeling this is bigger than it sounds. I think something big might be going down and I have to get there as soon as I can. I need to try to handle this as quickly as I can..."

Sam got the hidden message in his father's words. He needed to be quick, and with Sam around things would take longer. Even though he knew it was true and that his father wasn't trying to be mean or rude he couldn't help but feel sad. "It's okay Dad. I understand. I'd just be too much of a burden when you're trying to hurry up."

Dean, who had been looking confused, just got the message as well. "What the hell Dad?! So we'll have to wait a few more minutes unloading the wheelchair and crap. What does that matter?? It's not going to stop you from doing what needs to be done!"

John smacked himself in the head. "No Sam, you're not a burden okay? You're not a burden at all! And it's not just your wheelchair, it's having two other people with me to worry about. Things would go faster if it was just me. And I want you boys to be safe because I do have a really bad feeling about this."

"I can't fucking believe you!" Dean yelled at John, his face bright red. "So you're just going to leave us?? What if something gets us here?!"

"Dean, you two are grown adults so don't tell me that you both can't protect yourselves here! Nothing here is going to get you, we already finished the hunt! And I am not bringing you two with me where I think you could get hurt. I am not going to lose my boys! Do you understand me??" John shot back, trying to get his message across.

"No, I don't understand you." Dean growled "We've been able to handle ourselves on any other hunt! Why not this one??"

"Dean, what Dad's saying makes sense. He thinks this one is too dangerous. He just wants to protect us." Sam tried to tell his brother.

"I will call you boys with updates, and I will be back as soon as I can. I'm not leaving you Dean."

Dean still looked furious, but he knew better than to shout out anything else.

"I'm going to need to get to the airport. Dean, come on son. Please come with us to the airport at least." John asked him.

Dean glared at John and then looked over at Sam who was still sitting in the bed. He paused for a moment before answering. "Fine." He grumbled

* * *

The whole ride to the airport Dean sat in the passenger seat while pouting and smoking the whole time. Sam couldn't help but worry and think that his brother was making a way bigger deal about this than he should. Dad was just going on a hunt and didn't want them coming because they could get hurt. He was just protecting them and would be back right after the hunt. What's the big deal??

The scariest part of this was that Dean had refused to drive. Dean never put down an opportunity to drive. Dean just muttered to Sam "You go ahead and drive." Sam knew that meant Dean had a lot on his mind. His brother always held his feelings inside. If Dean was afraid of something or wondering about anything, why didn't he just ask John? Dad would surely answer whatever question Dean might have.

Sam tried to clear his head as he pulled the Impala into the the airport parking lot. A couple years ago there had been advancements made in the hand driving adaptments that Sam used. The adaptments used to be more manual and strenuous and sometimes Sam would get tired pulling the hand brake and accelerator all the time. But now the whole thing was much more simple and automatic. There was just these two adaptions that stuck out near the steering wheel and all Sam really had to do was press the buttons on them. Of course Dean made sure he had the newest equipment. Now both the Impala and John's truck had hand controls just in case, although Sam stuck with the Impala on most cases.

John got out of the backseat and closed the door. He walked over to the driver's side window and Sam rolled it down.

"You boys just stay put here. I'll call you as soon as I get in South Dakota and I'll call whenever I have updates alright?"

"Alright Dad." Sam answered. Dean however, remained silent.

"Dean." John sighed. "At least tell me goodbye. I don't want to leave with you upset with me. I promise I'm just doing this to keep you boys safe."

Dean, who was smoking his....what...4th cigarette maybe?...looked like he wasn't going to respond. But then he cast a short glance at John and muttered "Bye Dad."

"I'll be back as soon as I can. You boys stay safe." John told them "Dean, you look out for your brother."

Sam rolled his eyes. He wasn't a kid anymore. And while yeah, he might still need Dean's protection, he could look out for himself as well. But Sam knew John was extremely overprotective of him, having already lost Sam once in his life.

But when Dean responed it was in all seriousness. "You know I will."

John nodded, and then he turned around and the brothers were on their own.

* * *

For the next couple of days boredom struck down on both Winchesters. Sam wanted to go to the beach since they were staying in a motel near Lake Michigan. It was summer and even in Michigan it was nice and warm. Sam didn't want to spend the days cooped inside the motel. But the thing that made him stay in was Dean.

Dean was moody and no matter how much Sam asked, Dean would not tell him what was wrong. Dean busied himself by signing Sam up for another basketball team that he found out was nearby, Sam still played now and then when they took some down time. Another thing that Dean busied himself with was smoking.

Dean at one point had been able to cut down to five cigarettes per day. That was about a year ago. He had actually attempted to quit then. However, he ended up running out of gum and patches and unable to handle the cravings had grabbed for his smokes instead of running to the store or asking Sam to. Dean was now back up to maybe 7-10 per day. He really tried keeping a limit for himself but Sam knew when he got stressed or angry he smoked more.

And right now Dean was both stressed and angry and he had so much time on his hands. That lead to Dean smoking more than Sam had seen him do in a long time. Dean seemed to be back up to a pack a day. His brother already had a smoker's cough that was getting worse and he was running out of breath quicker. The last thing he needed was to smoke more.

"Dean?" Sam decided to ask on their third day of doing absolutely nothing.

"Yeah?" Dean replied, he was yet again smoking. This time inside the room since John wasn't around to see. The area around Dean was clouded with smoke in the air and Dean was staring out the window aimlessly. Sam hated his brother like this. Whatever was bugging him he had to let Sam know!

"You're practically up to a pack a day man. I think you should take it easy a bit."

Dean let out a frustrated sigh as he glared at Sam. "Quit bugging me about my smoking Sam! I will quit eventually. I already told you that. Why won't you just let it be?"

Sam had been bugging Dean about his smoking lately, but that was only because he was concerned. He never forgot that dream he had back when he was fourteen and he was determined to make his brother quit. Sam may have not bugged Dean about his smoking when he was younger, but as the years went on and they became closer, Sam learned that it's okay to argue and bicker with your brother. In fact, they do it all the time now, most of the time they are just playing around but other times they're not. Sam knows everything about his brother now and they are extremely more comfortable around each other than they were when they first met. They get into prank wars, constant teasing and name calling all the time. Sam's no longer afraid of getting his brother upset or Dean leaving him like he was years ago. Their relationship has developed a lot.

"Dude, I'm not blind. You'll run up a couple flights of stairs and be short of breath. You can't keep going on like this Dean. I even see you having a hard time breathing during hunts."

"So what? I'm getting old. Give me a break." Dean shrugged and then killed his point when he brought his cigarette back up to his mouth to take a deep drag and ended up with a hacking cough.

"See? That's exactly what I mean! Your smoker's cough is getting even worse man! And don't give me that crap about getting old! You're _twenty-six! _Dad's pushing fifty and he can run for longer! I actually found this anti-depressant drug that can help you quit." Yeah Dean was twenty-six, which meant he had been smoking for _ten_ freaking years!

"Fine, maybe I am smoking too much. But I told you I _will_ quit. Don't worry about me Sammy, just relax." Dean finished his cigarette and put it out.

"You know what Dean? I could relax if you could! I'll quit bugging you if you tell me what's wrong with you." Sam got his wheelchair right in front of Dean and folded his arms.

"What are you talking about! I'm fine!" Dean defended and went to reach for his pack of cigarettes but Sam slapped at his hand.

"Drop the act Dean. Even since Dad left you've been brooding and pouting the whole time."

"No I'm not, I'm just bored! There's nothing to do."

Sam knew it was time to take drastic measures. He got his face ready and looked at Dean directly in his eyes.

"Ugh...god...Sam!" Dean screwed his eyes shut and let out a sigh of defeat. _Gotcha._ Those puppy dog eyes work all the time.

Dean was silent for a minute or so but that was a good sign, it meant he was thinking about how he was going to say what was on his mind.

"You think he'll come back?" Dean asked suddenly, shocking Sam. "Dad. Do you think he'll come back?"

Sam was speechless for a moment. "Of course he's going to come back Dean! He called us as soon as he got there. He's been calling us everyday." Sam should have known. Dean seemed to have this fear of people leaving him, a fear of being alone. But Dad has been calling them. He told them he thinks he knows where Bobby is and is going to find him.

"I just have this feeling that he's keeping something from us. That he knows more about this then he's letting on, you know?" Dean told Sam and actually Dean might be right. It did kind of seem liek their father knew something more about the demon that took Bobby.

"If he is he knows what he's doing and it's the right thing. When hasn't Dad known what he was doing?" Sam pressed

"I know. It's just...what if he decides to go after this demon and whatever it is that he knows without us? What if he finds out that he enjoys hunting alone and doesn't want us hunting with him anymore." Sam could tell Dean was embarrassed and uncomfortable with admitting this.

"Hey, if he didn't call like he said he would, then yeah maybe Dad wouldn't keep his word and come back. But Dad's called everyday he keeps asking how we're doing and he drilled it into our heads that he's coming back. He's going to keep his word Dean. He wouldn't lie to us like that." Sam assured him and he knew he had said the right thing when Dean nodded.

"Yeah, you're right. I didn't think of it like that." He gave Sam a small smile and stood up to stretch. "Whattaya say about heading over to a bar Sammy? Go and have some fun?" Dean wanted to get Sam's mind off of his smoking and have a good time.

Dean saw Sam pale a little bit and he knew what was coming next. "That's okay Dean, go ahead. I don't really feel like going, I'm kinda tired." Sam still didn't like big crowds of people and Dean knew they made him uncomfortable and self-conscious about himself. When Sam was in a crowd, he stuck out like a sore thumb and the wheelchair would give him negative attention. For as accepting as Sam is of his disability, he doesn't like getting stared at or talked about in the wrong way.

"You sure? It'd be fun." Dean tempted but Sam just went over to the bed and lifted himself into it, waving Dean off.

"Yeah, I really am tired. Go on, go pick up some girls."

And that was exactly what Dean was going to do. Go pick up some girls, but for him _and Sam._

* * *

Dean spotted what looked like the perfect chicks for Sammy. Not too revealing, but still really hot. Dean watched them as he got a few drinks in him and then made his way over to the girls who had been eyeing him as well the whole time.

"Hey there ladies." Dean but on his best flattering grin as he approached the two brunette girls. Dean was a lot more confident with girls since Sam had helped greatly improve his reading difficulties. "Name's Dean." Both of the girls giggled and Dean had worked his charm again.

He spent a while talking to them, getting to know them a little bit and bought them a few drinks before he was confident that Sam would like one of the girls. Turns out that they are best friends and both single. The one with the shorter hair, Bridget, seemed more of his brother's type, she was more reserved and seemed sweet. Sam needed to date a girl to get a confidence boost. Sam had never asked a single girl out and Dean knew if it weren't for the wheelchair he would have had tons of dates already. Girls could be so cruel, what does it matter that his brother is in a wheelchair?? Dean doesn't even really see the wheelchair when he looks at his brother because he is so used to it. It's just like a part of Sam, it doesn't define who he is or what he can't do.

"So are you girls busy tomorrow night?" Dean asked with a smirk. He was leaning against the bar counter, drink in one hand and cigarette in another.

The girls looked back and forth between each other. "Both of us?" The one with the longer wavy hair, Kristie, asked him. "Look we both think you're cute but we don't do threesomes so you can just get out..."

"Woah, woah, I'm not talking about threesomes. I've got a little brother back home." Dean smiled.

"Oohh you do?? Is he as cute as you are??" Kristie asked

"Well, I don't think anyone could be as good looking as I am, but hey, he's got my genes." Dean joked

"What does he look like?? Why isn't he here?" Bridget piped in, Dean was happy the girl was taking interest.

"He was tired and passed out back home. His name's Sam. He's a little more gangly than me but he is taller and has real strong arm muscles. Brown hair like mine, but longer. Plays on a basketball team. He's not as outgoing as I am but he's a real nice kid."

"Ooh an athlete, sounds like your type Bridget!" Kristie nudged her friend causing her to blush.

"I do like athletes. And I like the shy type too." Bridget smiled but then frowned as she watched Dean take a drag of his cigarette. "But I'm not too crazy about smokers."

_Perfect! _Dean should take up a job as a matchmaker. "Then you'd love my brother." He grinned. "How does nine tomorrow sound? At the restaurant across the street?"

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

_Here's the next chapter everyone! The next one might be up tomorrow because I'm almost finished with it as well! And to everyone reading my other stories, don't worry they will be updated and completed! I'm just kind of obsessed with this story right now! lol But after these two chapters I will work on my other stories!_

_I would also like to thank my wonderful beta and co-author Gabi2305! She has helped me out so much and had the idea for this awesome plot!! I'm so lucky to be working with her on this!_

_Enjoy! :)_

* * *

Sam was sitting on his bed watching some lame movie that was supposed to be scary. Sam chuckled at the movie's version of vampires with the slick black hair and funny capes. He couldn't believe how wrong people got it sometimes. Sam looked at his watch and saw that Dean should be getting home within an hour; he hoped Dean would come back in time so they could make fun of the cheap movie together like they always did. But he was getting tired so he was thinking of falling asleep; they could always watch a movie tomorrow.

Sam settled back on the bed so he was lying down, not even bothering to put on the covers because it was so warm. He was starting to nod off when he heard his cell start to ring. Sam groaned and reached over to the nightstand, already knowing that it was his father who was calling. Dean was too busy at the moment to be calling.

"Dad?" Sam yawned into the receiver.

"Hey Sammy, you tired?" Came John's voice on the other end.

"Yeah, I was just about to fall asleep." Sam told him and tried to make himself wake up a bit.

"Yeah, sorry. I keep forgetting it's two hours later over there. How are things going? How's your brother?"

"We're fine, just bored. Dean's at a bar but he's been smoking like a pack a day again though." Sam informed him, knowing full well that Dean would throttle him for telling their father this information.

"God dammit. That kid needs to stop. I'm not going to lose him from some disease caused by smoking. You're seeing how much trouble he has keeping his breath while running right Sammy?"

"I know. And that cough of his keeps getting worse. Dad...I found this drug that sounds like it really helps people quit smoking. But when I brought it up to Dean he didn't say anything." Sam said with a sad sigh.

"Get him to take it. No matter what it takes. Just keep bugging him; if he doesn't listen to you I'll make sure he listens to me when I get back."

"Okay. I'll try." Sam promised his father even though he had no idea how he would make Dean take the drug. "But Dad, I know why Dean started smoking more. He was acting really strange these past couple days like something was bugging him. He finally told me what it was. He said he was worrying about if you would come back or not."

"Sam, that's ridiculous! Of course I'm coming back! I'm not going to just ditch you boys and take off." John sounded shocked that Dean would even think this.

"I know Dad. But you know Dean, how he hates being alone or left out of something. He just didn't like how you took off without us, he kinda felt like you were keeping something from us."

Sam heard John sigh. "Sam...I was really worried about Bobby. The demon knew his name and I had a feeling it was the same demon that took his wife."

"What? Bobby had a wife?" Sam had no idea about this.

"Yes. He doesn't like to talk about her. I'm the only one who knows what happened; Dean doesn't have a clue either. I already know a bit about this demon from what Bobby told me. I didn't want to have to explain to you boys what happened seeing as it would waste time."

"What happened?" Sam asked in a small voice.

"Demon possessed his wife; Bobby didn't know what was going on. He thought his wife went crazy, she was about to kill him and Bobby had no choice as to shoot at her. She wasn't dying though and finally the demon had enough and left her body. Bobby saw the black smoke and then his wife was dead. That's how he got into hunting." John explained.

"Oh my god....why would a demon do something like that to him??" Sam asked in shock.

"I don't know, maybe it had some sort of problem with Bobby, that's just my thought. But Bobby thought it was in his wife for a while, messing with him. This is really serious and I just wanted to get here as soon as possible."

"Dad...it's okay. I know that I would have slowed you down….." Sam trailed off.

"Ugh, Sam...son that's not the whole reason. It's just...Sam I would have taken you boys if it weren't for the plane. I needed to get there as soon as possible and you know...it would take a while to get sorted on the plane with your chair. And with Dean...you know how hard it would be to get him onto a plane?"

Sam had completely forgotten about Dean's dreaded fear of planes and flying. "I forgot about that." He admitted.

"And I didn't want to put Dean through that. He nearly has a panic attack talking about flying. Listen, I'm driving right now to a lead I got on the demon and I'm almost there. I'll call Dean in the morning but I'm not going to let him know about the flying thing. That would just make him more upset but I'll let him know about Bobby and his wife. I'll talk to you later Sammy."

"Alright, bye Dad." Sam told his father and then hung up. He let out a long sigh, thinking about everything that John had just told him and before he knew it he was falling asleep.

* * *

"Yo Sammy, get your lazy ass outta bed!"

Sam groaned at the sound of Dean's voice and went to open his eyes only to be greeted with a pillow to his face.

"Dean, what the hell man?!" Sam moaned, not enjoying that he had gotten woken up.

Dean plopped down on Sam's bed next to him. "Nice that we have our own beds for a while huh?"

Sam eyed Dean strangely. Why was Dean acting so giddy? Oh well, it was a big improvement to how he had been acting the past few days.

"Yeah, now I don't have to wake up to you drooling on me. I finally got a good night's sleep for once and you have to wake me up and ruin it." Sam rolled his eyes.

"Oh shut up. You were sleeping before me. It's ten o clock dude. Time to get up." Dean told him happily and then whacked him in the face with his pillow again.

"Alright Dean! Enough! I'm up okay!" Sam shouted at his brother and used his stomach muscles and arms to get up into a sitting position. "Why do I have to wake up now?"

"You have basketball practice, remember?" Dean said and tossed Sam a bag of food which he easily caught. "And plus, I was bored. Wanted someone to talk to."

Sam pulled out the pancakes from McDonalds and took a bite only to grimace in disgust. "Dude, these are ice cold!"

"Well sorry princess but someone was too busy having their beauty sleep." Dean walked over and pinched Sam's cheek before grabbing the pancakes to heat them up in the microwave.

Sam rubbed the spot where Dean had pinched him. "I don't have practice until two."

"I know. But I figured we could take a stroll and explore the place, seeing as we'll be here for a while."

Now Dean was all up to going out? Sam couldn't get him to leave the house before!

"Did Dad call when I was sleeping?" Sam asked, thinking that he knew why Dean was in a better mood.

"Oh yeah. He told me about Bobby's wife. Said he's pretty sure Bobby is safe and that the demon wants to mess with him again. He said he'd call us when he knows more." Dean told him and handed Sam the pancakes.

"Thanks." Sam told Dean as he grabbed his food. Sam also had a strong feeling that John had assured Dean that he was not leaving them and that Dean had no reason to worry. But of course Dean wouldn't tell Sam that.

"So finish up those pancakes Sammy." Dean told him as he finished a cigarette out of his pack and put it in his mouth. "We've got some sightseeing to do."

"Dean…" Sam sighed. "Do you really have to smoke right now? I mean, why don't you try that drug I mentioned before. There's one called Zyban, another called Chantix and another one I forgot. But we could research them to see what one would work best for you."

Dean threw his head back and groaned. "Sam, I really don't think now would be the best time to take it."

"Why? It's the perfect time. We're on down time and not hunting. It couldn't be a better time!" Sam protested.

"I just…I can't do it right now…I…" Dean stuttered

"You keep saying that! It's going to be hard no matter when Dean but now would be the best time. I know you're afraid but it's okay…"

"I'm not afraid!" Dean shot back. "I just…listen I'll think about it okay? I promise."

Sam was glad Dean gave in, but just because he said he'd think about using the drug doesn't mean he actually will.

"Okay. Thanks." Sam told him and tried not to grimace when Dean lit his cigarette. "Let's get going."

* * *

After they had explored the surrounding areas a bit and went to the beach, Sam went to practice. Dean always had someway of helping out the coach, as he wanted to always be a part of Sam's games somehow.

At four o' clock they were back at the motel, perfect timing in Dean's eyes. Sam was complaining about being rusty at the practice and not getting enough baskets as Dean was exercising his legs just like he did almost everyday. Now was the time to bring up the double date.

"So....Sammy...yesterday at the bar I met two really cute chicks and asked them out on a date." Dean chuckled as he watched Sam's eyes grew huge and he started laughing.

"Dean? Seriously? Two girls? That might be just a little too much, even for you."

Dean cocked his head to the side as he looked down at his little brother. "What are you talking about? They're not both for me. It's going to be a double date."

Sam's face paled drastically as Dean said those words. He had been doing sit ups at the moment and Sam fell back to the floor with a thunk.

"Double date? You...with who...?" Sam asked stupidly.

"With you genius."

There was a moment of silence and then..."You set me up for a date?"

"Of course I did Sammy, didn't want to leave you out."

"And how the hell did you manage to do that?" Dean was surprised to hear anger in his brother's voice. That wasn't what he had been expecting.

"I told the girls I had a brother. They seemed interested so I told them more about you and one girl seemed really into you." Dean shrugged.

"You left out the part that I'm in a wheelchair didn't you? Because there's no way they would've agreed to go on the date otherwise." Sam said coldly.

"Sammy I...I didn't even think to bring it up really. I'm just so used to it, it's like a part of you...ya know? I mean I told them the important stuff, what you look like, the stuff you like, and your personality. I mean, that's the stuff that should matter right?" Dean told him.

"Yeah, it is the stuff that should matter but they're not going to care. You might not look at me and see the disability but I know very well that they are. The fact that I'm in a wheelchair is going to be the biggest thing to them. They won't care what I'm like!" Sam half growled and sighed at the same time.

"Sam, I think these girls should be able to want to go on a date with you without knowing about the wheelchair. I just didn't think it was that important that they had to know. The girl, Bridget, seemed like she would be really interested in you." Dean told his brother.

"But she'll turn and walk away once she sees me."

Now it was Dean's turn to sigh. "Sammy. These seem like really nice girls. I told them nothing but good things about you. You've never had a date and I think this would be a perfect chance. You've got to build some confidence up Sammy."

"I am confident. I know that I can do almost everything that people who can walk can." Sam told him.

"Yeah, then why can't you go on a date?" Dean shot back, causing Sam's face to fall. "Listen, I just want you to have a good time. I know you'd be kinda uncomfortable and really nervous so that's why I made it a double date. I'll be right there with you."

"Dean, listen. Thanks for telling me and trying to set me up and all, but I'm just not ready. I...I don't want to deal with possibly being laughed at or mocked...I..."

"These girls don't seem like that type tough Sammy!" Dean huffed and let go of his brother's legs. He needed to get Sam to go on this date! His brother was twenty-two for goodness sakes and had never dated a girl! Dean mulled it over in his head a bit, and then smiled when he thought of a plan. Dean walked over and sat down in Sam's wheelchair and looked down at his brother who was still lying on the floor.

"So you said there was this drug that could help me quit smoking?" Dean asked in a conversational tone.

Sam twisted his head to look at Dean. "Yeah. It's supposed to really make your cravings lessen up so you won't even want a cigarette."

"Well Sammy. You know what? I'll try this drug." Dean told him.

"You will? Really?" Sam's voice was filled with hope and excitement.

"Yeah, but under one condition." Dean couldn't help but smile now. "You go on the date, and I'll start taking the drug."

Sam scrunched his face up as he glared at Dean. "That's blackmail." He whined. But he remembered what his father had told him._ Get Dean to quit no matter what it takes._

"Yeah, but hey. You do want me to quit right?" Dean snickered.

"You're such a jerk Dean." Sam told him, but Dean could see a little smile appearing anyway.

"And you're such a gimp Sammy boy." Dean responded and smiled, thinking back to the time when the whole jerk/gimp joke between them started about six years ago. Dean had been messing around in Sam's wheelchair, trying to see what it would be like and the wheelchair had toppled over on top of him, leaving Dean cursing up a storm. Sam had laughed and called him a jerk. Dean has shot back that Sam was a gimp but it was all in fun and he said it with affection. Sam knew that Dean would never seriously call him a gimp or consider him one. But there would be hell to pay for everyone else who would dare call his brother that name.

When Sam didn't make a move to get off the floor Dean glanced at him. "What are you doing on the floor? Get up and wash your hair, take a shower and put on some deodorant. You're sweating. Get ready, you've got a date to go to!"

Sam looked up at him with a smirk. "You're sitting in my wheelchair Dean."

Dean blushed like mad and got up upon seeing that he was indeed sitting in Sam's wheelchair. The chair was just so normal to him that he didn't even realize it. Dean sat in it all the time actually without knowing, when Sam was in bed or sitting somewhere else. And in fact, it was the most comfortable chair in the room. He walked over to his suitcase while Sam got himself up into his wheelchair.

"Jerk." Sam chuckled as he went to pick out his clothes.

Dean glanced at him with a sparkle in his eyes. "Gimp," he said softly.


	3. Chapter 3

_Hey everyone! So here's the longest chapter I've ever written! I'm real excited to post it ad I hope everyone enjoys it!!_

_Thanks so much to Gabi for being my beta and helping me write the last few paragraphs of this chapter! :)_

_

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The brothers had arrived at the restaurant a bit early. They were sitting side by side at one of the tables; a chair had been removed so Sam could fit his wheelchair in. However, Sam looked like he was about to throw up and Dean didn't know what he could do to make this easier on his brother. He had offered Sam the chance to drive but Sam had turned it down and had concentrated on staring out the window.

"Relax Sammy, you look great. Bridget will love you." Dean told his brother and gently punched him in the shoulder.

"How can you be so sure?" Sam hissed in a whisper.

Dean shook his head. How could Sam be so negative about himself when it came to girls? Sam had really grown up over the past eight years and also had grown a good four inches. He had gone from a cute looking gangly kid to a handsome young man. Sam's face still had a boyish look to it but hey, he was still young anyway. Sam had packed on the muscle as well. His arms were always strong but now they were so muscular it was almost ridiculous. Having to push yourself around 24/7 and train to be a hunter really would make your arms strong. And Sam's legs were looking much better than they had before. They would never have the same amount of muscle as a person who could walk had, but they did look healthy, just a bit skinny. Sam looked good, well he was a Winchester after all, so that was no surprise. The only thing that drove Dean nuts was that mop of hair, but Sam was insistent on not cutting it.

"What's there not for a girl to like about ya' Sammy?" Dean answered simply and shrugged. Sam's behavior was stressing him out as well and Dean was glad this restaurant had a smoking section. He pulled out his pack and snatched one from it, silently wondering how many a day he was now up to.

Sam grunted and pointed down to his useless legs for the answer to Dean's question.

"Sam, we went over this already." Dean sighed as he managed to light his smoke and take a drag. "It doesn't define who you are."

"But..."

"Dude I never once treated you like crap just because you can't walk. I came up to you in that school and helped you out. I talked to you and liked you for who you were. Who's saying that these girls will be any different?" Dean asked as he tapped his cigarette on the ashtray, took another drag.

"You're different than most people Dean." Sam told him quietly. It was true. Dean didn't treat people like crap just because they were different. Dean stuck up for others and never teased someone just because they didn't fit the norm. Dean knew what it was like to be treated like crap in high school back when his dyslexia was so bad. He would never wish that suffering on another person.

But before Dean could respond to his brother he spotted the two girls heading over to their table smiling.

"They're here Sammy; put a smile on that pouty little face of yours." Dean teased and nudged his brother with his shoulder. He was happy to see Sam follow his advice and perk up.

Sam watched the girls walk towards them slowly as his heart beat sped up dramatically. Oh god...what was he going to say to them? Sure, Dean had given him some dating tips but Sam wasn't Dean. He didn't want to charm them with a personality that wasn't really his. Should he introduce himself? Well yeah that made obvious sense, but when was the right time? When they were still standing? But Sam wouldn't stand up with them, so should he wait until they were sitting down?

However, Sam had something bigger to worry about when he saw the girls' faces change as they got closer. Kristie looked shocked, Bridget looked somewhere between betrayed and disgusted....and they were looking right at him and his wheelchair.

He felt Dean tense as well next to him and Sam knew he had seen this as well. Sam glanced sideways at his brother through the haze of his cigarette smoke and saw him glaring at the girls, his jaw clamped tightly. It was his _don't you dare mess with my little brother_ look. Sam didn't know rather to be embarrassed or grateful for that look Dean was giving them.

But what shocked Sam was that after a moment the girls continued walking towards them, although they still looked skeptical. Maybe he was just paranoid...maybe the girls weren't going to judge him, maybe they would like him.

Dean put his cigarette in the ashtray for a moment to greet the girls. "Hey." Dean said as the girls sat down. "This is my little brother Sam. Sammy, this is Kristie and your date Bridget."

"Hey." Sam said and managed a smile. Bridget however was staring at him with her mouth slightly open. Her expression was now unreadable.

"Hi." Kristie spoke up but it seemed strained. The smile she gave was tight and not real. Sam felt his heart fall in his chest. This was exactly what he had been fearing.

"Can I get you guys anything to drink?" Sam was saved from saying anything from the waiter who approached their table. Bridget gave her answer and then looked down at her lap and began picking at her fingernails, avoiding Sam's gaze. Sam knew that look, it was the look people gave him when they wanted nothing to do with him, when they were embarrassed to be spotted near him.

Sam didn't even hear Dean and Kristie give their answers and before he knew it Dean was gently tapping him on the shoulder.

"Hey Sammy, what do you want to drink?" He asked softly, obviously noticing his brother's discomfort. Sam looked up to see the waiter waiting for his answer.

"Oh, I'll just have a coke." Sam tried to keep his voice under control and somehow succeeded.

The waiter nodded and jotted it down before leaving and once again Sam was at loss for words.

"So..." Sam was relieved when his brother decided to break the awkward silence. "You girls live out here or just visiting? Going to college?"

Bridget and Kristie both looked at each other, as if deciding who would answer. It ended up being Kristie as Bridget looked back down at her lap.

"We live here. We've been best friends since middle school. We both go away to college at Western Michigan University." She said and only looked into Dean's eyes, avoiding Sam's like he wasn't even there.

Dean bumped his shoulder. "Hear that Sammy? College girls!" He wagged his eyebrows in an attempt to cheer him up but Sam couldn't seem to get the lump out of his throat and only nodded.

It was silent for a while after that, Sam knew that Dean was waiting for one of the girls to say something but now both of them were staring pretty intently at their menus. The only sound was Dean blowing smoke out of his mouth and taping ash.

_Come on! Say something you loser! _Sam thought in his head, desperately wanting Bridget to at least like him a little bit or give him the fricken' time of day.

"Me and Dean went to the fudge shop down the street earlier today." Sam blurted out, just trying to think of anything to say. "It was really good, I liked it a lot."

Kristie just offered a small smile, still not looking directly at Sam but at least she was doing something. Bridget only shifted in her seat nervously.

"Yeah, Sammy here couldn't pick what kind he wanted. Well, neither could I. So we ended up buying nearly ten different kinds." Dean said with a grin. He put out his cigarette in the ashtray and lit another one.

"Oh. That sounds nice." Kristie said and Sam could almost see her relief when the waiter re-appeared with their drinks.

"Are you ready to order yet?" The waiter asked them after he placed down their glasses. Sam sucked in a breath as he realized that he hadn't even looked at his menu yet. It's all Bridget and Kristie have been doing but Sam never even opened his yet.

Dean looked over at him and noticed this. "Can you give us a couple more minutes?" He asked.

"Sure thing." The waiter told them and walked away. When Sam looked back at the girls he saw Kristie going to stand up.

"Dean, could I speak to you for a moment in private? It's kinda personal and important." She asked.

Dean glanced at her for a moment in curiosity. "Sure." He answered after a moment's pause. He put out his half-smoked cigarette and stood up. He gave Sam's shoulder a reassuring squeeze before leaving to follow Kristie.

* * *

Dean did not like the tone of Kristie's voice at all when she asked him to talk. What the hell did she have to tell him that couldn't be said in front of his brother? Dean didn't like it one bit that he was leaving Sam alone back there. The kid was a nervous wreck and was beginning to get twitchy. Sam was uncomfortable because the girls seemed uncomfortable as well. With Dean leaving him alone it would only make his nervousness worse.

Kristie stopped in the hallway outside the bathrooms. She stared at Dean for a moment before she just let loose.

"Dean, can you tell me what the hell you were thinking setting my friend up with a cripple?!"

Dean was too shocked to respond straight away. "What did you just say about my brother?"

Kristie didn't back down. "So this wasn't a joke? That cripple is really your brother?"

"A joke? You've got to be fucking kidding me! What the hell is wrong with my brother?!" Dean asked while clenching his fists.

"Did you look at him? He's in a damn wheelchair for goodness sakes! He can't walk! Bridget doesn't know what to do! Who would want a man who can't take care of himself?"

If Dean was mad before, now he was downright furious. He didn't hesitate as he got right up in Kristie's face. "Listen lady, my brother can take care of himself just fine. He's been doing it for his entire life. Just because he can't walk doesn't mean he's fucking useless and not worth it."

"But don't you understand how weird it would be to be with a guy who can't walk? How awkward it would be and embarrassing?" Kristie sighed as if Dean just didn't understand her.

"You two didn't even get to know my brother! What if you found out he was a really nice and funny guy, which he is! What if Bridget ended up liking him? She wouldn't date him or even talk to him because he can't walk? She never even said a single word to him! Just judged him on the chair and didn't even try to talk to him!"

"She doesn't want to get involved with someone who's disabled. Listen, it was sweet of you to try to do something nice for your brother but he's...." Kristie tried to calm Dean down.

"He's what? He's paralyzed? Disabled? Wheelchair-bound? Yeah he is. But he's also the nicest guy I've ever met. He's funny, smart and brave. And just so you don't have to ask, yeah, he can perform." Dean hissed in her face.

Kristie's eyes grew huge as if she suspected there was no way Sam could have sex. "Dean, do you know how weird that would be?"

"Yeah, it would be a little different. But for a great guy like him, I think taking the time to learn how to adjust is worth it. And not just for sex, he wouldn't be ready for that anyway. A girl should be able to adjust to some things for him. He's the one sitting in that wheelchair for life, not you or Bridget. He's the one that has to deal with the stares and the sympathy looks. He's in that chair because of me and not once has he ever blamed me for it." Dean seriously had to control himself at the moment. Because he really wanted to punch Kristie in the face, and hard.

Dean turned around at the sound of laughter and was shocked when he saw Sam leaving the restaurant quickly. Cursing, he went to follow his brother only for Kristie to grab his arm.

"You don't have to leave Dean. We can still have a great time. He wouldn't have fit in."

And this time Dean couldn't help it. He pushed the bitch against the wall with force, watching as she fell backwards onto the floor and let out a gasp of shock.

"I don't want to ever see your pretty face again. And you know what? I hope you and your little friend end up with these perfect looking guys who treat you both like shit."

And with that, he took off after his brother.

* * *

**Five Minutes Earlier**

Sam watched as Dean followed Kristie over to the bathroom. What was Dean doing, leaving him here?? Didn't his brother see that he was a nervous wreck as it was??

He looked over at Bridget who now looked even more fidgety now that her friend was gone. She kept looking around the room quickly, as if she just wanted to get out of here. Which at the moment, Sam pretty much wanted to do too, but for different reasons.

Why couldn't the girl just give him a chance? He thought he was a pretty decent guy. He's not experienced at all, but he could learn. And he had Dean to help give him advice. He was pretty sure he was the kind of guy a girl would like to date, if they only looked at him and not just the wheelchair.

"So....um....Bridget...how do you like your school?" Sam made a small attempt at conversation with this girl, to get her to say at least one word to him.

As soon as he talked Bridget blushed and looked away. "Ohh...umm...it's nice." She said in a pipsqueak voice, not trying to continue on the conversation.

Sam sighed and shook his head. This was why he never wanted to go on a fricken date! Why didn't Dean listen to him when he said no?

But things were just about to get even worse when a group of college-aged kids walked into the restaurant, laughing and chatting. Sam could just sense trouble with them, and when Bridget started panicking upon seeing them, Sam knew he was right.

The kids started walking past them to get to their table and Bridget ducked her head down and to the side so she wasn't facing them. These must be kids she knew from high school or something. But that didn't help at all as one boy's eyes went huge and he pointed at her.

"Hey, look it's Bridget!" He shouted and the small group turned to look at them.

"Whoa, you on a date there Bridge?" Another boy perked up. "What's wrong? You couldn't find a boy with legs?"

Laughter erupted from the group and when Bridget didn't say a thing Sam couldn't take it anymore. This was the last straw! He couldn't believe he ever agreed to this stupid date! No girl would want to date a stupid cripple who couldn't even stand up on his own!

Sam knew his face was bright red and he was on the verge of tears, so to save himself any more embarrassment he decided to get the hell out of here. But in his angry rush to escape, Sam forgot that their table was a little higher up than the ground floor. He turned straight around to leave, forgetting that the small ramp to get up and down was located more to his left. The small drop caught Sam by surprise and luckily he was able to keep himself in the wheelchair. It tipped dangerously to the side and while Sam had to fight his rising panic of falling out of the chair on top of all things, he managed to balance it out. His feet slipped out of the footrests in the process.

It was like deja-vu when the teenagers burst out laughing once more. When Sam looked at Bridget all he saw in her stare was embarrassment and pity. Just a perfect way to end this horrid evening.

One of the waiters came rushing by at the sound of the commotion. When he saw what had happened he asked Sam if he needed any help while looking down at his lifeless feet that were hanging off the footrests.

"I got it." Sam spat out. He really shouldn't snap at this man who was just trying to help but he was too hurt to care. The man backed away and held out is hands in defense at Sam's anger.

Sam's hands were shaking horribly as he replaced his feet in the rests. Where the hell was Dean? Probably making out with Kristie in the bathrooms and not giving a shit about how his crippled little brother had just been treated. Dean had to have heard the laughter, but Sam didn't see him running out so he obviously could care less.

"Sorry for ruining your day." Sam mumbled and then went out the front door as quickly as he could. He needed to get out of here, now. Dean could find his own way home for all he cared, if Dean was even coming back to the motel at all. He most likely forgot all about Sam and was heading to Kristie's place for the night.

Sam threw open the passenger side door and hauled himself inside, so he could scoot over to the driver's side. He was about to fold up his wheelchair when Dean came running out calling his name. Why the hell was he coming now?

"Sammy! Where the hell do you think you're going?" Dean called as he reached the car. He grabbed the wheelchair from Sam and finished the job of folding it up.

"I'm getting out of here, what do you think?" Sam hissed back, overly angry with his brother at the moment.

Dean put the wheelchair in the back seat and then got into the passenger side. "You were just going to leave without me?! What the hell man?"

"Well, I didn't want to ruin your date and the good time you must have been having back there." Sam growled in response and started the car, looking behind him to back the car out of the parking lot.

When Sam looked back Dean's mouth was hanging open. "Hey, what do you think we were talking about back there huh?" He asked and sounded hurt. But Sam really didn't care right now; he just stared straight ahead as they got onto the main street.

Sam ignored the question. "What an awesome idea you had there Dean. Not telling the girls about my wheelchair. That worked out wonderfully now didn't it?" He asked in a way overly-cheery tone lased with sarcasm.

"Sammy. I'm so sorry man. I really didn't think they would act that way. I just wanted to do something for you; I thought it would work out. I'm sorry man; you don't know how sorry I am." Dean told him but Sam didn't answer nor look at his brother.

"Sam, come on man. Look at me when I'm talking to you. Why were you leaving so quickly? What was all that laughter about?" Dean tried again but reminding Sam of the laughter just got him even angrier. Sam ignored Dean again and continued driving, not failing to notice how angry Dean was becoming as well.

Dean was furious. Why in the world would Sam just bust out of the restaurant without telling him and then want to leave without him? He knew that Bridget wasn't being very socialable but why was Sam so upset at him? What did Dean do to make Sam act like this? And plus, Sam wouldn't even tell him what was bugging him no matter how hard he tried to get it out of his brother.

Yeah, Dean did screw up with this idea. But he only had the best of intentions! He wanted to make his brother happy, do something nice for him. He thought this would really boost his confidence a lot and help him see that he could date. He did it because he cared about the kid!

* * *

When Sam finally pulled into the motel's lot all Dean wanted was to get away from Sam and his pouty-ass attitude. If Sam didn't want to talk to him or be around him then fine! Dean wasn't going to go near him! Sam wanted to leave him at the restaurant alone anyway!

So Dean stormed out of the Impala and slammed the door shut hard. He started heading toward their room quickly, just wanting to smoke a whole pack of cigarettes when he heard Sam beep the horn loudly at him. Dean turned around but really, he just wanted to ignore whatever the hell Sam wanted just like Sam ignored him. But the big brother part of Dean wouldn't let that be, so reluctantly Dean headed back towards his car and opened the passenger door.

"What do you want?" Dean hissed at Sam.

"Aren't' you forgetting something?" Sam shot back, his tone dripping with venom.

Dean rolled his eyes. "What? Besides telling the girls that you need a wheelchair?"

"Perhaps I need a wheelchair to even get out of this damn car!?"

Oh crap. In his anger Dean had just left Sam sitting out in the car with no way of getting out of it. His wheelchair was sitting in the backseat and it was always Dean's job of getting it out and set up for Sam to get into it. There was no way Sam could get it on his own.

Now Dean was fuming with guilt as he took out the chair for Sam and set it up for him. Sam got in it as quickly as he could and once he was in he pushed past Dean to get into the room. Dean followed him with his head hung in shame, his anger was starting to vanish and he was beginning to feel really bad for his brother and all he had just been through. When Dean got into the room Sam was headed for the bathroom.

"Sammy, hey...I'm really sorry man." Dean tried once more to apologize but again, Sam refused to answer. Dean sighed and got up behind him and spun his wheelchair around to face him.

The reaction he got was unexpected.

"Don't you spin me around like I'm a lifeless toy!" Sam growled and the next thing Dean knew he was being punched in the stomach quite hard by his little brother.

Okay, that's it! If Sam wanted to be treated equally than he was going to get it! Not caring about his brother's disability Dean grabbed him by the shirt and yanked him upwards. Sam's dead weight against him caused them both to go tumbling to the ground in a heap, the wheelchair toppling over in the process. Dean didn't waste any time as he clocked Sam a good one in the jaw. Sam wanted to fight? Well he was going to get a fight, alright!

However, Dean was only able to get in one other good punch before Sam came out of his shock and started fighting back. The kid was good for not being able to use his legs, he was great actually. Dean had been the one that taught him how to fight like this in case he was pinned down by some creature. And really Sam with those arm muscles was a tough one to match.

Sam was able to grab Dean's fist as it came flying towards him and then punch him in the gut with the other hand. Dean recoiled and then Sam got him on the side of the face. Sam went to get on top of him but Dean was able to flip him over and land a kick to his side. Sam wasn't about to give up though and they tumbled some more. All the while Dean was panting quickly and after a short while he felt like he almost couldn't breathe. His breaths were getting shorter and Dean couldn't concentrate, Sam was able to get on top of him and pin his arms down in front of him.

And that's when the coughing fit started. It was harsher than usual and it burned worse than it ever had before. Dean's eyes started watering as he let out the hacking coughs, trying hard to keep breathing and not pass out from lack of oxygen.

Squinting through the tears, he saw Sam's face change instantly from anger to worry in a second. He felt Sam roll off of him and while that helped his breathing a bit, it didn't stop the coughs. Then a second later he felt himself being helped so he was laying on his side and Sam's hand rubbing his back. God, maybe he does need to cut back a bit.

"It's okay Dean, breath through it. That's it...deep breaths man." Sam was saying to him and he felt relief when there was no longer anger in his brother's voice. He listened to Sam's instructions and after a couple more minutes the coughing subsided and he and Sam were lying side by side on the filthy motel floor, relishing in what had just happened. Dean was sporting a bleeding lip among other bruises and it looked like Sam might have a black eye later on.

"Sammy." Dean panted, still trying to control his breathing a bit. "I'm so sorry man; I really didn't know they were going to be like that. I really thought this would be good for you."

"It's okay Dean. I know you were just trying to help me and didn't mean for me to get hurt." Sam told him, finally listening.

"That girl...Kristie....I wasn't having a 'good time' with her back at the restaurant like you assumed I was. She was being an ass about me setting Bridget up with you and I was going off on her. I was so furious Sammy, you have no idea. The only thing that stopped me from clobbering her was that I saw you leaving and you seemed upset." Dean explained, able to tell Sam the whole truth.

"Oh." Sam said quietly. He knew how angry Dean got when people made fun of Sam or said something against him. "That's why you didn't hear what was going on. Some of Bridget's friends came in and made a remark about her dating a boy that couldn't walk or something. She didn't say anything and I got mad, went to leave and ended up almost falling over that little step that was there. That just made the whole place go nuts practically."

Dean had no idea that this had gone down while he was yelling at Kristie. His brother had been humiliated in so many ways tonight and he felt just horrible about it. Sam was so confident in every other aspect of his life and his disability. The only thing that he was down about was the fact that he thought a girl would never want to date him. When Dean made this date to help him gain some confidence, he had no idea it would wipe it all away.

"Don't you listen to those people Sammy. Every girl out there would be lucky to date a guy like you and many will want to. Those two were just jerks and felt embarrassed when they had no need to." Dean told his brother, wanting to help him out the little bit that he could. What Sam really needed was a girl that would treat him kindly and want to date him for the right reasons. A girl that wouldn't be embarrassed by him at all.

"I just don't get it Dean. I don't understand why other people are embarrassed to be seen with me. I'm the one who has to live with this huge disability for the rest of my life, not them! They're the normal looking ones, if anything being seen with me should make them feel better about themselves and how they look. But...it's not like I'm hideous or anything...I'm just in this damn chair...I...." Sam was beginning to get all worked up again. His breathing was increasing and his face was blushing red with anger.

"God Sammy...I know...I just wish these people would give you a fricken' chance and get to know you. They shouldn't..." Dean started but he was unexpectedly cut off by Sam.

"Dean." Sam said and Dean assumed that his brother just wanted him to stop lecturing. Well, that wasn't going to happen. He felt guilty enough already, the least he could do was try to make Sam feel a bit better about himself.

"Sam, let me finish. These people shouldn't judge you just because you're..."

"DEAN!" Sam yelled it this time. When Dean did turn around he saw that Sam's face was set into a panic. "I have to go to the bathroom."

Oh shit. Dean quickly looked over for the wheelchair and saw in toppled over to their left. Sam caught Dean looking.

"Don't bother." He muttered and Dean knew he had to be quick. He didn't waste any time as he grabbed his brother under the armpits and dragged him into the bathroom. He waited just long enough until Sam undid the zipper of his jeans and hauled him onto the toilet seat. "Call me when you're ready," he said and left, giving Sam some dignity. Dean leaned at the wall just outside the bathroom door and closed his eyes, sighing. Why did things have to be so hard on his brother, from the way some people treated him to the fact that he couldn't hold his bladder as long as other people.

About a month after Sam had started to live with them John and Dean had found out the Sam actually didn't need the catheter he had been using. He did have limited feeling down there because the damage to his spine was so low and he had pretty good control of his bladder, the only restriction being a limited amount of time he was able to hold his pee. When he was a kid Sam did have accidents now and then and his foster parents didn't like to have additional work. So they chose the easiest way for themselves, asking the hospital to send catheters and ordering Sam to use them, even though he didn't need them. Instead of cleaning up after Sam if he did have an accident the foster parents had resorted to making him feel even more disabled. Dean thought about Sam's relief when their dad told him that he wouldn't have to use the catheters any more and a little accident every now and then wouldn't be a problem. Actually, there hadn't been an accident for years now. Sam did use a urinal though when he knew he couldn't reach a bathroom for a longer period of time, for instance when they went on a hunt or an accessible bathroom was not available.

Dean woke from his musings when Sam called a few moments later and went to bring him his wheelchair. Seconds later Sam came out, looking utterly exhausted which made Dean only feel worse. It also looked as if though Sam had been crying a bit in there. Bruises were now beginning to appear on both boys' faces. Dean felt horrible.

"Hey, want to watch a stupid movie with me?" Dean asked Sam gently.

Sam looked up at Dean with gratitude. "Yeah, okay."

Sam got into his bed and sat against the bed rest. Dean didn't hesitate as he sat right next to him, their shoulders touching.

"So are we good?" Dean asked as he turned on the TV.

Sam managed a small smile. "Yeah, we're good...jerk."

"Gimp." Dean smiled back and settled in to watch the movie.

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	4. Ignore

Disregard this. I'd delete it if I could but I think that it would mess the chapters up. Sorry about this!


	5. Chapter 5

_Thanks so much everyone for your kind words! It really heped me out a lot! :) I hope this chapter makes up for the long wait! Enjoy! :) Another thanks to my beta Gabi!! She comes up with many of the great ideas for this story!_

* * *

When Sam awoke Dean was in the shower which was good because it allowed him some time to think.

He wasn't going to go on a date ever again, no way unless a girl decided to ask him out which would never happen. It wasn't like he would ever settle down with a girl, being a hunter and all so it wouldn't be that big of a deal.

But Sam couldn't deny that he wanted to go on dates. He wanted to so badly. Dean was always getting dates and yeah, Sam was a little jealous. He just couldn't bring himself to believe that a girl could be interested in him. Girls liked tall guys who could protect them and walk beside them with their arms around their shoulders. He actually was taller than most of the other guys and he knew he wasn't so bad looking, but he still had to look up to everyone and the wheelchair diminished his attractiveness considerably.

When Dean got out of the shower he saw that Sam was awake. However he was just lying there staring at the ceiling with a hurt expression on his face. It seemed as though Sam was deep in thought and Dean felt a pang of guilt surge through him. He knew exactly what Sam was thinking about and needed a way to make him feel better.

He thought about the drug he promised Sam he'd use but right now he just couldn't think about using it. He was so stressed at the moment with everything that was going on with Sam and quitting smoking right now would be the worst thing he could imagine because he needed that stress release. But he did promise Sam, so once things were good again he'd use it, not sure when but he would.

So Dean pretended not to notice Sam's depressing mood and walked up to him, sitting across from him on the opposite bed.

"Hey bro, what are we going to do today?" Dean asked in a cheery tone but Sam didn't respond, still staring straight ahead at the wall.

Okay, what the hell? Dean thought they were on good terms now, they watched that movie together last night until they both fell asleep next to each other. But obviously Sam must not think so. What did Dean do wrong now to get his brother upset again?

"Hey, I thought we were good? Remember?" Dean tried asking in a quiet voice.

"Yeah, we are." Sam sighed, still not removing his gaze from that spot on the wall before he covered his eyes with this arm. "Just leave me alone."

Dean knew that movement. Sam was getting emotional and upset and didn't want Dean to see. Well, big brother wasn't going to have any of this. Sam was getting out of bed and having fun even if he had to force him to!

Grabbing Sam's legs, Dean moved them and placed his feet on the floor. Sam must have felt his pelvis moving because his arm fell away from his face.

"Let go of me!" He growled and reached over to pull Dean's hands away from his legs.

Sam didn't like it when someone moved his legs without his knowledge or permission. But this time Dean just shook his head. "I'm not going to let you rot away in bed, getting depressed from constantly thinking about a stupid date gone wrong."

Sam glared over at him, trying to get up but failing to do so because his legs were at such an odd angle. He sighed when Dean reached out a hand to help him up but eventually took it and they were able to get Sam sitting.

Now that he was at a better vantage point Sam stared down his brother. "It wasn't just a stupid date!"

"Oh really? It seemed stupid to me. The girls were stupid and not all are like them."

"Dean that was the first date I ever went on, and look how it turned out!" Sam practically yelled at him.

"Yeah, well it was a sucky date for me too Sam! It ruined both of our nights." Dean told him.

"It's different for me and you know it. You've been on dates before, I haven't.

"Yeah well that's just experience then Sammy. You have a bad date and know what type of people to avoid. It happens to me a lot. Now come on, get out of bed."

"Yeah well at least you've had a lot of dates! I can't get a girl to look at me without seeing pity!" Sam snapped.

"How do you know that? Not all of them will. And I'm getting tired of saying this over and over again! You have to go out and try some more Sammy; I know there are girls out there that will love you. Let's go do something fun man." Dean tried coaxing him.

Dean saw Sam's face getting red and knew that his brother was angry now. "In case you missed it Dean. I'm grown-up already and you can spare me your over-protectiveness."

Dean felt like he had just been punched in the gut at Sam's words. His brother really thought that little of him? Dean swallowed the lump in his throat and went to sit on the motel-provided chair, just staring at Sam and not saying anything.

Sam however, seemed to notice his mistake and after a minute spoke up.

"I'm sorry Dean. I know you just mean well."

Dean looked away and bit his lip when he said his next words. "I'm sorry if that's how you feel. But you know, I have a little brother in a wheelchair and I'm responsible for that." He watched as he saw Sam staring at him intently, about to open his mouth but Dean held up a hand, knowing what Sam was about to say.

"I know you never blamed me for that, but it doesn't make the fact go away about what happened back then. Plus, I grew up thinking I was responsible for my baby brother's death. You have no idea how that feels. Something like that makes you kind of overprotective when you miraculously get him back. But if you want me to cut back on this then…."

Dean couldn't continue because Sam started shaking his head and blinking to prevent a lonely tear from falling. "No, it's okay. Really, I don't mind at all."

Glad that the issue was settled, Dean got up, deciding to end the chick-flick moment. "Hey, what about this? We'll go to the rehab and you'll get some professional exercises. I'm sure they have parallel bars over there. It would do your legs some good to put some weight on them."

Sam wasn't exactly in the mood to do exercises right now but he knew that Dean wouldn't leave him alone. And maybe it was for the best, he just couldn't lie in bed the whole day and getting more depressed by the minute. Some physical exertion would do him good. Sam sighed in defeat and grabbed his wheelchair.

* * *

Rehab was always tough on Sam. The parallel bars were difficult for him, it was so strange standing on legs you couldn't feel and Sam didn't like it. He felt like he was going to tip to the side even when he wasn't moving.

"You're doing great Sammy." Dean told him, standing right in front of him. His brother had refused to have a trainer stand by him and Dean took their place. Honestly, Sam felt much safer knowing it was Dean that stood in front of him in case something was to happen.

"I'm not doing good, I keep slipping." Sam told him, his face beading with sweat.

"Sammy, for someone who can't move their legs on their own you're doing great."

"But it's fricken' hard Dean." Sam grunted, his arms shaking with stress.

"I know but hey, it will get easier with practice." Dean patted him on the shoulder while chomping on his Nicorette.

Sam gritted his teeth as he leaned heavily on his arms to swing his legs forward once again. "Who knew this would be harder than hunting?" He said with a short laugh.

"Well learning how to hunt wasn't a walk in the park either, but you learned." Dean told him.

"Heh, walk in the park. Funny one Dean."

Dean rolled his eyes at his brother. "I know, I'm hilarious. But hey you could almost walk through the park when we get you up on crutches."

Sam stopped trying to move forward just then. Uh-uh. No way. This was weird enough; using crutches would be even stranger. "Dean, you know how awkward this feels? I don't want to use crutches and drag dead weight along and stand on legs I can't even feel."

"Hey, you liked the idea before."

"Yeah, that's before I knew what it would feel like. I'd fall flat on my face Dean." Sam told him and at that very moment his left arm gave out and he started falling to one side. Sam anxiously closed his eyes and held his breath, bracing himself for the inevitable fall. But then he felt two strong arms slipping under his armpits and holding him tight, preventing the fall. When Sam opened his eyes, he saw Dean smiling.

"I'd never let you fall Sammy. Never have, never will."

Hanging limply from his brother's arms, Sam sighed, too relieved to feel embarrassed by his awkward position. "Thanks."

"Quit thanking me gimp. So do you think you'll at least give it a try?" Dean asked and carried Sam back into his wheelchair a few feet away.

"Maybe I'll try it. But I'm not promising I'll stick with it." Sam answered, trying to catch his breath.

"Hey, that sounds fair and reasonable." Dean smirked. "Oh and you know there's a basketball game in an hour?"

"Oh crap! I completely forgot about that!"

"It's alright. I don't think you could've played anyway today; you just joined the team the other day. But do you want to go watch it?" Dean suggested.

Actually, that idea sounded pretty good. Sam was exhausted and didn't feel like playing but going to watch the game with Dean sounded like fun.

"Yeah." He smiled. "Let's go."

* * *

The two of them had a good time at the basketball game and Sam could honestly say that he forgot about his bad mood completely. Dean was right, getting out would do him some good.

After the game the brothers were walking out of the building to the Impala which they had to park a few blocks away. Sam was in front of Dean and there was a large group of people that were just walking out of a bus. A blonde haired girl got off right in front of Sam and they almost collided if Sam didn't back up to get out of her way. However, he almost rolled over Dean's left foot and his brother had to jump out of the way to avoid getting run over. The blonde girl smiled her thanks to Sam just as Dean spoke up.

"Hey, watch where you're going you little gimp." He growled in fake annoyance, butting Sam on the back of the head with the hand that wasn't holding his cigarette.

Sam rolled his eyes at his brother. "Shut it, you jerk." He said in the same tone as Dean, not seeing the expression on the girl's face change.

Before either brother knew it the girl was right up in Dean's face.

"He's right, what is your problem you jerk? Do you get some sort of happiness on picking on people that are disabled or something?" She asked her tone anything but friendly.

Sam was downright shocked and he could tell Dean was too. His brother's mouth was hanging wide open and his eyes were huge. He couldn't even come out of his shock to say anything back to her.

"What? You can't think of anything to say back? What a coward." She continued and Dean just stared back dumbly. He was so shocked that he even forgot about his cigarette that was running out.

By this time Sam thought he could find his voice so he gave it a shot. "Uhh, he's my brother. We were just teasing each other like we always do."

The girl's face changed immediately from anger to embarrassment. "Oh my god. I'm so sorry! I thought he was being a jerk to you and I...."

"Well he is a jerk, but he's also my brother so I'm used to it." Sam said which earned him a punch in the shoulder from Dean.

"I'm still so sorry. I just hate seeing other people teased or treated badly." The girl told them while blushing.

Dean grinned and put out his cigarette on the ground. "That's perfectly okay. I like knowing that someone else would stick up for my brother even though they don't know him. I'm Dean; this is my little brother Sam."

The girl shook both of their hands, still blushing. "I'm Jessica but I go by Jess most of the time. God, I feel so stupid right now."

"Well for making you feel stupid how about we pay for your lunch. Me an' Sammy were just about to grab a bite to eat. You want to join us?" Dean asked her. Oh god...Dean wasn't doing what Sam thought he was....was he?

"Oh, well I don't know. And I don't want you paying for anything; I was the one who brought the stupidity upon myself."

_Okay Dean, now leave the poor girl alone and let her go,_ Sam thought but he really knew better.

"Okay, fine. You can pay for it yourself but do you still want to join us? We're going to be staying in town for a little while and we're bored out of our minds. It would be fun to meet someone to talk to." Dean went on.

"Well....I guess it wouldn't hurt. I was just getting back from my summer job and the fudge shop. My house is right down near the beach so I don't want to walk too far." She said.

"No problem, we can go to the small diner around the corner." Dean smiled

"You work at the fudge shop?" Sam blurted out suddenly. He had been wanted to say something but he didn't mean for it to be this. He quickly looked down to hide his embarrassment. "Uhh, me and Dean just went there yesterday." He finished with a small shrug. God, he was horrible at starting conversations with girls.

But amazingly the girl didn't seem to notice, or didn't think Sam's topic was strange at all. "Oh you were? Yesterday was my day off actually. How did you like the fudge? What kinds did you get?"

Wow, a girl was asking Sam a question, two to be exact. Was this some sort of dream? "We couldn't decide actually so we ended up getting like ten different kinds. But uh, I liked the kind with the peanut butter in it. It's really good." Sam said and peered back up to where Jess and Dean were standing. Jess was actually looking right at him and Dean was grinning like a fricken' maniac.

"That is a good kind. But I like the mint the best. We're having a sale starting tomorrow. You guys should stop by sometime." She smiled

"Oh trust me we will." Dean laughed. "How bout we head over to the diner now? We can go in my car. I'm starving over here."

Sam didn't fail to notice the look Dean was giving him all the way there.

* * *

When they reached the diner and got situated at their table Sam felt his nerves acting up. He knew that Dean invited this girl because she had been nice to him and he was thinking of setting them up. However, Sam knew better. The girl was just being polite but she wasn't interested in dating him at all. But after his experience with Bridget it was nice to just talk to a girl that looked him in the eye."

"So, where are you guys from?" Jess asked them from across the table.

Sam looked at Dean to answer but he felt his brother nudge him in the side. Great, Dean wanted Sam to reply back to her.

"Uhh. Well....we were born in Kansas but we move around a lot with our dad. We're pretty much traveling salesmen." He told her and tried to keep his voice from shaking. Why did he always act like a teenaged boy when it came to girls?

Jess laughed a little. "Well I've never met actual traveling salesmen. What do you guys sell?"

This time Dean spoke up. He was the better liar after all. "Heh, you know. This and that. Pretty much anything we can get our hands on. It's the family business."

"That's really nice that you guys get to all stick together. So I'm guessing you two are close?" Jess smiled.

Dean started laughing and Sam rolled his eyes, finally finding something he was comfortable talking about. "Close is an understatement, there isn't a day where I don't see this jerk."

"Yeah, well I'm the one that's stuck with this gimp 24/7." Dean snickered. Jess looked a little taken aback.

"We tease like this all the time, we don't really mean any of it." Sam informed her and she just shook her head with a smile.

"Yeah, I can tell you guys are close. I don't have any siblings but I wish I did."

"Oh. So do you live here or go to college?" Sam was actually getting into the conversation and feeling more at ease. Jess just had a calm feeling about her and having Dean with him helped tremendously. Speaking of Dean, he was sporting the world's biggest grin right now.

"I actually go to Stanford; I'm home for the summer. My family just bought a brand new place over here. This is our summer vacation town." Jess told him. Sam just couldn't refrain from smiling, seeing how comfortable she was with him.

"Wow, Stanford. That's a great school. What are you going into?" Sam asked her.

"I'm going into Web Page Design in Digital Media. It's really neat." She said and before she could say anymore the waiter came. They ordered their drinks, Dean lit a cigarette and they started looking at their menus.

Sam decided on getting the chicken quesadilla and looked over at Dean to ask what he was getting. When Sam saw his brother's face and posture he knew what was wrong. Dean's face was scrunched up and he had the menu right in front of his face. His hands were also shaking a bit and he was taking really deep drags from his cigarette. Dean still had trouble reading in some situations, especially when he was around other people because he didn't want to seem stupid.

Jess seemed to be done ordering and Sam knew Dean would be really embarrassed if Jess noticed his reading difficulty.

"Hey Dean, did you see that they have this burger/onion rings combo thing? That seems like something you'd love." Sam leaned over to tell his brother, casually giving him an idea of what he could eat.

"Oh no I didn't. Where's that?" Dean asked, calming down a bit.

Sam pointed it out to Dean and then turned to Jess to talk to her so Dean wouldn't be under any pressure to hurry.

"So...Jess...how do you like it at Stanford?" Sam asked her, trying to build up some confidence.

"Oh! It's a ton of fun, but I do miss home at times too. It's a really good school and there's always something to do. Have you gone to school?"

"Umm no, school's not really my thing, I just wanted to stick with the family business." That was sort of a lie. School was Sam's thing. In fact, before he met Dean or his father the one thing that he wanted to do was go to college. But after he met Dean...that changed because he had a family now and he wasn't going to lose that.

"Oh that's fine. My best friend decided not to go to school but instead get a job at her mom's place. She's becoming really successful and she likes what she does, that's what's important."

"Yeah, it is." Sam agreed. He looked over at Dean and was relieved when he saw that his brother had put down the menu and decided what he wanted. However, when Sam turned his head back he saw two of the kids that had made fun of him at the other diner yesterday.

_Oh God, please don't let them see me. Please don't let Dean see them_.

That thought was washed away when Sam felt Dean tense up next to him.

* * *

Dean had sensed sudden discomfort from his brother and followed his eyes in his direction. Sam was looking at two kids that were around twenty. He watched as the two kids sauntered on by chatting and how Sam seemed to grow smaller as they neared their table. Dean knew they must have done something to hurt his brother since Sam was acting like this so he immediately went on alert. As they passed Sam ducked his head away but it didn't work as the two noticed Sam.

"Hey, look! It's that gimp that Bridget was with last night!" One of them said and they both chuckled.

Alright, that's it! Dean's had enough; no one was allowed to call his brother that name except him! He stabbed his cigarette out in the ashtray and went to stand up with fury only to be held back by Sam and shockingly Jess had reached over as well.

"Dean, don't, it's okay." Sam told him and Dean just growled.

"It's far from okay Sam."

"I know it's not okay Dean but they aren't worth it. Don't give them your time of day." Jess added in and at that moment one of the kids turned to her.

"Aren't you embarrassed to be seen with a cripple?" He asked with a short laugh.

Jess turned to look at them with a thoughtful expression on her face. She turned to look at Sam and then back at the kids. She smiled sweetly before replying.

"You know if I had the choice between a nice honest boy in a wheelchair and a stupid jerk on two legs, I'd gladly deal with the wheelchair." She told them in a kind tone and then turned away, leaving the two kids stunned. She turned to face Sam. "The disability those morons have is way bigger than yours, and they don't even know about it."

If Dean didn't like Jess for Sam before, he sure as hell did now! Sam was going on a date with this girl, no matter what.

* * *

Jess watched as those two jerks walked away. She really didn't understand what in the world would condemn people to act that way, and to say stuff like that out loud too! What did it matter that Sam was in a wheelchair and how did it affect these kids?

She turned back around and looked at the two brothers. They were both very attractive to say the least. Dean seemed like he would be more of a flirt and someone that likes to go out often by the way he talked and the things he said. But she could tell there was a soft side to him when it came to his brother and teasing with him. The way Dean almost pounced on the kids when they made fun of Sam showed Jess just how protective he was of his little brother.

Sam on the other hand seemed more quiet and laid back. He was soft spoken and seemed so sincere. Jess also couldn't fail to notice that he had the most adorable eyes that she'd ever seen. Sam actually looked like he might be taller than his older brother if he were to stand up.

But Sam seemed extremely nervous and shy and Jess couldn't help but wonder if it was because of her. No way was she the first girl that found him attractive. It couldn't be that his wheelchair chased the girls away, could it?

The sudden ringing of a cell phone made them all jump and scared Jess right out of her thoughts.

"Oh..it's...ah...mine." Sam stuttered and grabbed his cell from his pocket. He opened it and spoke into it. "Oh hey Dad…look I'm in a restaurant and it's pretty loud here. I'm going to go outside can you wait a second?" He put the phone in his lap and turned back to Dean and Jess. "It's Dad, I'm going to head outside where it's quieter. I'll be right back."

Jess smiled at him as he left and she was alone with Dean. She watched him pull out a pack of cigarettes and light one. That wasn't something she was a fan of, although she didn't really mind it. She wasn't going to judge Dean because he smoked; he seemed like a nice guy.

"So Dean...why is Sam so shy? Is there a certain reason for this?" She asked him, trying not to sound nosy.

Dean looked around before answering. He seemed to be reluctant to tell her at first, but then he shrugged. "Don't tell him that I told you but yesterday we went on a double date. Let's just say the girl didn't treat Sam too well because of his disability. It really brought him down a lot."

"That's horrible." Jess sighed. Sam was a sweet guy; he didn't deserve to deal with people's ignorance. But she guessed being in a wheelchair, he had to do so on an almost daily basis. The thought caused a wave of sympathy wash over her.

"Tell me about it," Dean said." He was never really brave when it came to girls but that nearly blew all of his confidence." He shook his head and took a drag of his smoke.

Jess thought for a moment. "You think if I were to ask him out when we leave...would he say yes?"

Dean looked at her thoughtfully. "Are you just asking him out because of what I just told you?"

"No, absolutely not. I think your brother's really sweet and he's cute too. He seems like my type. I'd like to get to know him more." She told him truthfully.

Dean studied her for a moment, deciding if he believed her or not. "Well that's great. But I doubt he'd agree to it. He probably thinks you'd just ask him because you feel pity for him."

"Well, I'll try my best to show him that I really do want to go out with him." She smiled.

They chatted for a bit more before Sam came back in, wearing a smile on his face.

"Hey Dean, Bobby says hi. Dad's going to stay with him for a little while longer to help him out. He said he'd call you later."

Dean smiled at that. "That's good. So what are you guys getting to eat?"

* * *

An hour later they were leaving the restaurant and Jess had a really nice time. The more she talked to Sam the more she thought he was just her type of guy. He wasn't stuck up at all and didn't seem like the type to show off or try and act cool. Upon exiting the building Dean stepped aside to smoke, giving Jess and Sam their space.

"So Sam, that was really fun. What do you say about going to the beach tomorrow with me?" Jess asked him casually.

Sam visibly paled at that sentence. "Oh umm I...I'm actually busy tomorrow. My dad actually had a job he wanted me and Dean to do." He said quickly and Jess knew it was a lie. She knew Sam was self-conscious but she couldn't help but feel a little hurt.

"Then maybe another day?" She asked "I'd really like to get to know you more."

"Oh yeah...maybe..." Sam blushed. "Umm, bye." He waved at her and took off. Jess looked after him as he reached his car, Sam really did have problems with trusting girls. She hoped Sam taking off had nothing to do with him not liking her.

As Sam was hurrying away Dean stepped over to her and handed her a piece of paper.

"Here's his number. We're staying at the Eastside Motel room 5."

Jess nodded, she was going to show Sam that she truly liked him. She was already formulating a plan in her head.


	6. Chapter 6

_Wow. So this chapter is 19 pages long and 9,300+ words! This took me quite a while to write but it was also fun to write. I want to really thank my awesome beta Gabi for helping me out with this chapter and encouraging me when I was getting discouraged with it. She thought of some great ideas in this chapter! Thanks a lot Gabi! :) I hope everyone likes this very very long (for me at least) chapter! Thanks so much for reading!_

* * *

Sam woke up to the sound of his brother walking through the room and the microwave going off. He had dreamt last night about Jess, her wavy blonde hair and perfect smile. God, he did really like her, she seemed like the perfect girl for him. He slightly regretted not giving her his number but he figured it was the right thing. He wasn't good enough for someone as perfect as Jess was.

Sam slowly opened his eyes and saw Dean in the mini-kitchen, humming some classic rock song and pouring some juice. Dean put two sausage biscuits that smelt really good onto a plate and walked back over to the beds. He smiled when he saw Sam was partially awake.

"Rise and shine, Sammy. Made us some food." Dean grinned and put down the food and juice at the table. He reached an arm out and Sam took it, Dean helped pull him up to a sitting position. His brother then plopped down on one of the chairs by the table and faced Sam. "Dad texted me earlier, he's going to call in a bit."

"What did he say?" Sam grumbled, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

Dean shrugged and took a bite of his food, the hot temperature not even burning his tongue. "He just wanted to talk to us and asked if you were awake. I said you weren't as usual and he said he'd call us in a bit."

"Oh alright." Sam said.

"Come on, get your lazy ass up and get your food, before it's starting to get cold." Dean told him and motioned towards the food and juice.

Sam huffed and started on the task of getting himself out of bed. He pulled off the covers and grabbed both of his legs one by one, moving them so they were pointed towards the edge of the bed. Sam then put his arms down on the bed and moved his torso slowly until he was at the end of the bed. He grabbed his feet and put them in the footrests of his awaiting wheelchair before grabbing onto the bed in one hand and the arm of the wheelchair with the other. He grunted as he lifted himself up and into the wheelchair successfully. All the while Dean watched with a smirk, chewing happily on his food.

Sam went to the bathroom and then finally joined Dean at the table, still yawning and rubbing his eyes.

Dean watched him silently for a few minutes then frowned. "You slept well?" When Sam just shrugged, he continued. "You didn't have any of those strange visions, did you?"

"Nah," Sam shook his head and took a bite of his biscuit. "Just a few weird dreams."

"About girls?" Dean smirked, shoving his empty plate aside and grabbing the pack with his cigarettes. Not wanting to blow the smoke in Sam's face when his brother was still eating, he got up to stand by the window. "Listen, I was thinking about Jessica."

"Stop it Dean," Sam cut him short. "You know you don't have to get me a date. It's okay."

"But…"

"No buts, Dean. We'll be leaving in a day or two so it doesn't make sense to get to know a girl anyway."

Dean was still thinking of a good answer when his cell phone started ringing. Taking his cigarette out of his mouth, he walked over to his nightstand, grabbed the phone and flipped it open. "Hey Dad. Yeah he finally got his ass outta bed. He's still having his breakfast. Wait a second, I'm putting you on speaker." Dean pressed the button and sat down beside Sam.

"Alright, you're on speaker." He informed their father.

"Hey Dad, do you know when you're coming back?" Sam asked.

"I'm still not sure yet. I'm going to stay with Bobby at least for the next few days. The demon tore his place up a bit and I'm helping him with that. You boys could come over here driving separately if you want." John told them.

"Well we would Dad, but we'd love to stay a while longer." Dean said and smirked at Sam who gave his brother a warning glare.

"Really?" John asked with interest. "Why's that? Last I heard you two were bored out of your minds."

Dean gaped at his brother. "Sammy didn't tell you? Last night, in the restaurant we were with a girl who has the hots for him."

"DEAN!" Sam growled and reached out to shove his brother who only laughed loudly in response. "She's not interested in me!"

"Oh Sammy..." Dean chuckled and shook his head. He took one last drag of his cigarette and put it out, getting ready for the fight Sam was about to put up. "You'd have to be blind not to see that she was interested."

"Oh yeah, how?" Sam taunted and folded his arms.

"She couldn't keep her eyes offa you man. She kept asking you questions and smilin' at ya'!"

"So what? We were just talking, that doesn't mean anything." Sam shot back, the boys only stopped when they heard their father yelling from the phone.

"BOYS! Enough already. Sammy, if anyone could tell if a girl is interested in someone, it would be your brother. So did you ask for her number or what?" Sam could hear the curiousness in his father's voice and for a minute he almost felt bad for not asking Jess.

"No, he didn't. He was too chicken." Dean blurted out.

"What?" John asked. "Well that's stupid. Why didn't he ask her?"

"Psh, ask him." Dean shrugged and got up, leaving Sam to talk to their father alone.

"Sam..." Upon John's tone Sam could virtually see his father's sad smile. "Do you like her?"

"Well, yeah...but...Dad...I can't...she...she never asked for mine..." Sam stuttered stupidly.

"Sammy, let me give you a bit of advice. Usually it's the guy that asks the girl. Many girls wait for guys to make the first move in almost everything."

"But Dad..."

"Listen Sammy. I have to go now, but I know this has to do with you thinking she sees you differently because of the wheelchair. But Sam, you have to give the girls a chance. A lot of girls wouldn't care about your disability. I know your mother wouldn't have cared if it was me, and I wouldn't have looked any differently at her if she was paralyzed."

Sam was genuinely shocked. Dad never talked about their mom much at all. He didn't know what to make of this.

"It's up to you Sam but I would give her a chance. I'll talk to you both later, take care of yourselves."

Sam and Dean both said goodbye to John and then hung up with him. As soon as they did Sam glanced over at Dean with frustration.

"Why'd you have to tell him?"

Dean looked at him like he was stupid. "Dude, he's our _father. _If he were here you know he'd be asking all about it. He wants to know what's going on with us and I told him."

"But...god...now he's mad at me and..."

"Sam. He's not mad at you, he just wants to see you happy and so do I. We want you to be able to go out and date and have fun. You know how much it kills us both to see you look so down on yourself when it comes to girls?" Dean was staring at Sam intently, his eyes looked sad.

"I...I can't help it." Sam finished lamely.

"Dad never brings up Mom. You know that. But he did this time, which should tell you how badly he wants this for you and how much it means to him."

Sam sighed. "I know."

"You know what?" Dean cocked an eyebrow, looking down at Sam.

"I know how much it means to him."

"And it means as much to me too. So why won't you ask her?" Dean tempted.

Sam rolled his eyes. "As if I'm ever going to see her again. I don't have her number."

Dean opened his mouth, about to speak and probably say something along the lines of 'But you know where she works' when Sam's phone went off. Looking at it, Sam saw a number he didn't recognize and curiously opened it.

"Hello?"

"Hey Sam! It's Jessica, from yesterday. I was calling to ask you if you wanted to go to the beach with me today."

Oh crud. Crap, crap, crap! How did she get his number? He shot an angry glance at Dean. Of course it had to be him.

Sam struggled to make up some sort of excuse. He thought he'd get out of it but here she was giving him a call. He really would love to meet her again but he just couldn't see it working out. His heart rate started to speed up at the sound of her voice and he found it hard to form a simple sentence.

"Well...that sounds like fun but...actually I have to go to rehab in an hour." Well that was a crappy lie and it was because he was as nervous as hell. Sam doubted it was even open at this hour.

"Oh." Jess sounded sad and it brought a pang of pain to Sam's heart. "Well, let's try for another day okay? Give me a call when you can."

"Oh okay. Yeah, sorry." Sam said quickly and ended the call. He immediately turned to face his brother.

"You gave her my number!" He hissed at Dean who was shaking his head.

"Of course I did, because you wouldn't." Dean sighed heavily. "I'd never thought I'd say this but you're being an ass and just plain stupid. Here's this sweet girl that likes you and asks you out and you lie to her and refuse to see her. Believe it or not Sammy, this girl likes you. Why won't you go out with her?"

Sam just shook his head quickly, giving Dean a serious look. "She wanted to know if I would go to the beach with her."

"Yeah...so?" Dean asked after a pause.

"Hello! Beach, sand, wheelchair...ring any bells?" He yelled. "Do you think she'll still find me cute when she has to pick me up after I fall flat on my face?"

Dean huffed. "I know sand is rough terrain, Sammy, but I'm sure you can handle it. Heck, you've been in this wheelchair for your whole life, don't tell me you can't navigate it through a bit of loose sand without falling out."

Sam listened to his brother, he actually had a point. "I don't know." He sighed. "I never had the chance to try."

"Well now would be the perfect chance to test your limits." Dean pointed out but Sam had enough of this conversation. There was no way he was going to call Jess back now after what he just said to her. She probably wouldn't want to see him ever again. So he picked up his laptop case and strapped it to the back of the wheelchair.

"Jerk." He hissed. "I'm going to the library, try to find a hunt. I'll see you later." He strode to the door, leaving Dean with the empty plates on the table although he knew very well it would have been his task to do the dishes.

* * *

When Sam arrived back at the motel a few hours later both him and Dean had cooled off enough to forgive each other. Dean helped Sam with his exercises while Sam told Dean about a possible hunt he might have found not too far away.

"Sounds like it might be a bust." Dean told him after they were done. "Go take a shower and I'll look over what you found." Sam learned a long time ago to print things out in bigger print and double spaced so Dean could look over it much easier.

Sam did what Dean asked and after he was cleaned up he joined his brother in looking over the paperwork. They were almost certain the hunt was a fake when there was a knock at the door.

Both brothers immediately went on alert and Dean reached for his gun tucked into his pants as he peered out of the peep hole. Upon seeing a familiar face he relaxed and smiled.

Dean opened the door and Sam's head snapped over when he heard the voice.

"Hi Dean," he heard her greeting his brother. "I was just wondering if Sam was done with his rehab. I wanted to invite him to go to the beach with me. Is he here?" It was Jess's voice, and she was standing at the door carrying a picnic basket and beach towels. Oh god, how was he going to get out of this one?

"Yeah he's right here. Come inside." Dean told her in a friendly manner and Sam quickly hid the papers under his laptop.

"Hey Sam." Jess said with a smile and Sam felt his heart flutter. She didn't seem mad at him at fall for the ridiculous way he acted before.

"Hey." Sam said shyly and blushed. Dean walked past him and bent down to quickly whisper in his ear.

"For God's sake, go. Have a good time. Or I'll get you a date with the next ghost we encounter." He said and grabbed the pack of cigarettes from the table. Walking to the door, he spoke up. "I'll be outside having a smoke."

Then Dean was gone and Sam was alone with Jess.

"So, are you done with rehab?" She asked casually, even though in truth she most likely hadn't believed Sam's lie.

"Um, yeah. I am." He swallowed thickly. Feeling uncomfortable, he took some comfort from the fact that he wasn't exactly lying to her. He had done some exercises, it didn't matter that he did so in their motel room and not in the rehab center, did it?

"Would you still like to go to the beach with me?" Jess asked tentatively and Sam could feel his nerves starting to act up. He felt a little sick and Jess must have realized something was up. "It's okay Sam. We don't have to go to the beach if you don't want to. We could go somewhere else. Or just stay here." She offered kindly.

Staying here actually sounded good to Sam, but he looked at the picnic basket Jess had all planned out and the beach towels and he just couldn't bring himself to say no. And he couldn't stay here with Dean lurking around the whole time.

"No. The beach sounds fine." He told her with a shaky smile.

They headed outside where Dean was lighting a new cigarette. Sam had no doubt that Dean was trying to listen in to see if Sam would say yes.

Dean smiled at Jess. "So you actually convinced him to go? Congratulations." Dean overlooked the annoyed glance Sam was shooting him, still concentrating on Jess. "How did you get here? You have a car?"

"Yeah, but it's still in Stanford. I came here by plane. I asked a colleague to drop me by at your place." She shrugged. "I may use my parents' car if I need it but I was hoping that it wouldn't be necessary today." Expectantly, she looked at Sam and Dean realized that she wasn't sure if Sam could drive but didn't dare to ask.

"That's right." Dean took a breath of smoke, turning to Sam. "You can take the Impala. Or would you prefer dad's pickup?"

Sam shook his head. "The Impala is fine."

"Alright." Dean said with a grin. "I'll lay the wheelchair on the backseat so Jess can sit beside you."

Sam pushed himself over to the driver's side. He placed his legs in the car first before grabbing onto the seat with one arm and hauling himself inside. All the while he noticed that Jess was looking at him but for the first time he didn't mind. Jess wasn't staring at him blatantly but rather watching with curiosity.

Jess turned to Dean when he started to fold up the wheelchair. "Would you mind showing me how it works?" she asked. "Could come in handy if I knew."

"Sure," Dean smiled and showed Jess how to fold and unfold the wheelchair. Jess beamed with pride when she succeeded to handle the chair at her first try. Dean nodded in approval. "Yeah, that's it. Now I'll show you the best way how to load the wheelchair in."

Sam silently watched their interaction in the rearview mirror. He hated the whole fuss about his wheelchair and he felt small. How could Jess like him if it was such a hassle to just go to the beach with him? He sighed with relief when eventually the wheelchair was loaded into the car, the picnic basket sitting beside it on the backseat and Jessica sat down on the passenger seat.

Dean walked over to the driver's side before they left and put out his cigarette on the ground before he stuck his head in the window.

"Alright." He said and Sam could swear his grin was miles long. "I'm going to sit here at the motel and do absolutely nothing. You guys have fun. And Sam, you better take care of my car or else I'll give your wheelchair a flat."

Sam rolled his eyes. "Don't worry; I wouldn't dare hurt your precious car."

Jess jumped in. "I'll make sure he doesn't do anything to your car." She smiled.

Dean laughed. "I like this girl. I'll let you guys go now. Have a good time."

"We will Dean. I'll see you later." Sam smiled, trying to get over his nerves. He was afraid his sweaty hands would slip from the controls and fought to stay calm.

"Bye Dean." Jess waved. Sam put the car in drive and let Jess tell him where to go.

* * *

Jess found it very easy to talk to Sam when they were in the car. They had a lot in common and when they did stop talking they did so in comfortable silence.

Jess examined the hand controls Sam used to drive, she hadn't known that Sam could drive although she knew it was a possibility. The controls were really interesting and she had asked Sam how they worked. Sam had blushed which Jess thought was absolutely adorable but explained to her exactly how they worked. He also said that the pedals still worked and Dean used them even though he also used the hand controls as well sometimes.

When they arrived at the beach Jess got Sam's wheelchair out and unfolded for him just like Dean had shown her.

"Hey, you're good at that." Sam said with a shy smile. "You almost learned as fast as Dean did, actually I think you learned quicker."

Jess grinned at him. "Well, what can I say? I'm a fast learner."

Sam laughed and moved into his wheelchair, Jess went around to grab the picnic basket when she saw a man about one hundred feet away stumbling around. He looked like a drunk but when he fell down onto the pavement, Jess couldn't help but run over and see if he was okay.

"Sir, are you alright?" She reached out a hand and he accepted her help, leaning heavily on her. Jess grimaced and tried to pull away from his alcohol laden breath, but suddenly he grabbed her wrist. "You're a pretty girl," he slurred. "Why won't you stay with me for a while?"

Jess tried to wiggle her hand out of his grip and felt panic rise when she failed. The man was as drunk as a fish, but still too strong for her.

"Please, sir," Jess tried, "you're hurting me." Anxiously, she looked into the man's eyes which were hazy from alcohol. She didn't like the sick grin on his face when he peered down at her. When she tried pulling away he tightened his grip and pulled her towards her, laying his hand on her back to prevent her from getting away.

Jess started to feel sick and didn't even think about yelling for help, but luckily she didn't have to. All of a sudden, Sam appeared beside her, with a grim look on his face. "Let go of her! Now!" he bellowed and Jess was surprised to hear how strong his gentle voice suddenly sounded.

This couldn't be happening. Jess feared for her new friend. What if this stupid drunk started to attack Sam? He wouldn't stop doing so because Sam was in a wheelchair. Her heart sank when she saw the man sneering down on Sam and as to show him who was in charge here, he pulled her even closer to his chest.

Jess glanced at Sam and startled at the furious look on his face. "No, Sam," she whispered, worried out of her mind that he might try something stupid and end up injured.

Suddenly, out of the blue, Sam's hand was on the man's wrist, twisting it until he let out a painful cry. Jess was free in an instant and she backed a few feet off. She let out a small whimper when she watched the scene before her. Her breath was kept in her throat when she saw the man bringing a fist down to Sam's face. Sam was no match for the compact man, she had to help him.

Jess was about to jump on the man's back when she stopped in her tracks and watched in awe how Sam easily blocked the fist with his right arm. His left hand let go of the man's wrist and clutched the shirt in front of him, pulling the man down. The drunk never had the time to adjust to the new situation when a hard uppercut hit his jaw, sending him flying to the ground.

With huge eyes Jess watched as Sam yanked the man to his feet without sweat. "I guess you owe the lady an apology," he told him with a stern face.

"Apology?" the man snuffled. Looking more sober as before, he shot Sam a glance. "Don't think so. She's your girlfriend? You're lucky, man." He turned to Jess. "You should think again, hottie," he slurred. "Come with me and I'll give you a night you'll never forget."

Jess clasped her hands over her mouth, when the drunken man started to approach her again. She saw Sam moving and suddenly the man stopped in his tracks, a painful expression on his face. "Hey, what you're doing, man?" he shouted at Sam. "Go off me, that hurts."

Jess had to laugh when she realized that Sam had wheeled over the man's foot, trapping his toes under his right wheel. The man yanked at the wheelchair to move it away, but knowing the man never could lift his weight, Sam just crossed his arms and looked at him. "You wanted to apologize to the lady," he said calmly, ignoring the increasing cries of pain and the futile tries to shove the wheelchair away.

With tears in his eyes, the man turned to Jess. "I'm sorry, M'am. Please forgive me."

Sam looked over to Jess and only when she nodded he moved his hands to the wheels and let his chair roll backwards. The man crouched down and clutched his injured foot, shooting Sam a meaningful glance. "You're plain crazy," he spat.

"Yeah." Sam agreed with sparkling eyes and went over to Jess who still stared at him.

"Sam," she whispered. "That was awesome. How did you…"

Sam shrugged. "It's always a good thing to know how to defend oneself."

Jess looked down. "Yes, I know, I should have kicked him. But I felt like I was frozen. God, I was so scared that he would hurt you. Or me."

"Don't be scared." Sam smiled. "No one is gonna hurt you as long as I'm with you." He frowned. "You're still shaking. Do you wanna have a ride?" Gently, he pulled her on his lap. "Hold on. There we go."

Jess folded her hands around his neck, tentatively stroking his hair as she did so and yelped in surprise when Sam tilted the wheelchair back and turned it around in a quick move. Snuggling her face against his shoulder, she giggled. "That's even better as a roller coaster."

Sam only grinned. He had to admit the date hadn't been a bad idea at all.

* * *

Jess got off of Sam's wheelchair and grabbed her stuff from the back of the Impala and then they started heading over to the water. However, Sam stopped once they reached the sand and Jess looked over at him and saw the troubled look on his face.

"What's wrong?" She asked and Sam let out a shaky laugh. He didn't want to tell her his silly fear about going on the sand, but he felt some sort of connection towards Jess now. He felt considerably more comfortable around her.

"I...well...I've never been on the beach before." He blurted out and blushed, looking away.

"You've never been to the beach...ever?" Jess asked with disbelief and Sam shrugged in response.

"No. We've been at places near the beach but I've never been to one." He admitted. It was true that sometimes they would stumble upon hunts that would be near the water but Sam stayed back on those and did research. There were hunts that Sam just couldn't take place in because of natural obstacles that would be in the way or if John thought it was just too dangerous for him.

"Oh, well that's okay. Why do you seem worried about something though?" She asked and Sam realized she didn't even think about the sand being a problem for him. She thought of him as so normal and not some guy in a wheelchair therefore she didn't notice all his limitations.

"Well, I never tried to navigate through the sand before and I don't know how good I'll be at it." He told her and closed his eyes, waiting for the laughter that was sure to come.

Instead he heard Jess's sad, sweet voice. "Oh Sam." She sighed and knelt down beside him. "It's alright, I can help if you want and push the wheelchair for you."

And suddenly Sam found confidence and strength in her words. "No, it's okay. I can do this."

It wasn't easy. That was for sure. Sam had to use all of his concentration and strength to balance on his back wheels through the sand but he made it to the spot where Jess put the towels down. There were many people staring at him of course and he felt a little embarrassed that Jess was getting all this unwanted attention on their date. But the location that Jess led them to now was a rather private part with only a few couples nearby and that made Sam feel more comfortable.

Jess sat down on the towels and looked up at him, looking a bit awkward. "Are you going to come sit down with me?" She paused, hesitantly. "Or is it too difficult for you?"

Sam grinned lopsidedly. "No, that's easy."

Jess smiled, relieved. "Good, because I don't want to look up at you the whole time."

Sam let out a good laugh. "Tell me about it." He put his feet off of the foot rests onto the ground and then lowered his lanky frame onto the blanket with such ease that it just looked like a quick flowing movement to Jess. She couldn't help but be impressed by Sam being able to wheel himself through the sand when it must have been tough and how he moved so gracefully. Jess had no doubt in her mind that Sam could do nearly anything that persons with the full use of their two legs could do.

When Sam sat down beside her she noticed just how tall he was. "Wow, I still have to look up to you. How tall are you?"

"I'm actually 6' 4''." He told her.

Jess smiled sweetly."I like tall men."

"Well sitting in my wheelchair I'm just about 4' 8''." Sam told her sheepishly

Jess just laughed. "That doesn't matter." She started unpacking the food and went to hand a water bottle to Sam when she realized that he was using his arms to keep himself sitting up. He also looked quite uncomfortable as well. She didn't even think that Sam might need some sort of back support to keep himself up or she would have brought something.

"Is that uncomfortable for you, sitting like that?" She asked and felt bad for not being more thoughtful about her date.

"Umm." Sam blushed and rubbed the back of his neck, supporting his whole weight with his other arm. Jess couldn't help but notice not for the first time how adorable he was. "Yeah, it kinda is."

Jess smiled at how considerate Sam was and tried to think of a solution. "I could sit behind you if you want," she offered. "That way you don't have to hold yourself up and could eat."

Sam looked surprised at the offer. "Well okay," he said hesitantly, "if you don't mind."

"I don't mind at all, I want to." She truthfully told him and moved behind him so that his back was leaning against her chest but Sam's arms stayed in place, like he didn't dare to lean back. Jess wasn't sure if he was afraid to touch her or didn't trust her enough to rely on her. "Don't worry, I won't let you fall, I've got you." She whispered and Sam shockingly removed his hands and his body naturally leaned back against her.

Jess could tell Sam was nervous so she decided to change the subject. "Grab anything you would like to eat." She told him happily, it was hard to concentrate with Sam so close to her. She wanted nothing more than to run her hands through his thick locks of hair but she didn't know if Sam would like that. So for now she kept her hands to herself.

They grabbed some food and chatted about silly things like the seasons and the weather. When they finished eating they laid down on the blanket facing each other and Jess decided to ask the question that she had been wondering for a while.

"How did you end up in a wheelchair?" She instantly felt bad once she asked however. She knew that many disabled people didn't like attention drawn to their disability and maybe Sam wouldn't take the question well.

She was pleasantly surprised when Sam smiled sweetly. For once in his life he felt comfortable talking about his disability with anyone other than his family and by now he knew he could trust Jess.

Sam smirked at her. "Dean dropped me."

Jess' eyes widened in shock. "He did what?"

Sam smiled. "It wasn't his fault. There was a fire in our house that killed my mom when I was six months old. It started in my nursery and my dad gave me to Dean to take me out of the house. Dean ended up tripping on something, he was only four years old and he dropped me. Dean says my back hit against the wall and apparently I've been paralyzed since."

Jess couldn't believe what she was hearing. Sam had been paralyzed in an incident that took his mother and it was his brother that dropped him and led to the injury.

"Did everyone make it out okay?" She asked quietly.

Sam grimaced. "This is going to sound completely ridiculous but my dad grabbed Dean when he fell and not me. In his panic he assumed Dean still had me. I...I have no idea how I made it out of that house. I was found in an alley and put into foster care."

"What?" Jess gasped. "How did you end up there? Your dad didn't find you?"

"I have no idea. And my dad was told I was dead. He and Dean thought so up until I was fourteen. I was taken in by uncaring foster parents who neglected me and foster brothers who abused me. Then one day at the high school I went to I was getting picked on by the school's jock that had some unknown problem with me. This new kid with a leather jacket and a cigarette in his mouth came over and helped me out and told the jock off. Can you guess who that was?" He laughed.

Jess didn't understand how Sam could have such a good attitude towards the whole situation. "It was Dean." She said knowingly. What were the odds that Sam had met his biological brother at his school?

"Yep. He was the only one that took an interest in talking to me. We hung out a bit and we became best friends. He ended up saving my life once and as soon as he and my dad learned what was going on at my foster home they took me in and took good care of me. A couple days later Dean put two and two together and he found out I was his little brother."

"Oh my god. That's crazy. Did you ever think of selling this story to the newspapers? You could make a fortune." She laughed. "You must have been so happy, to find your family and to have them care for you." She shook her head in amazement and gently ran a hand up and down Sam's muscled arm unknowingly.

"I was. But Dean had a really rough time when he realized that him dropping me caused me to be paralyzed. He was really upset for a while, he still blames himself for it even though I never have and never will. He's the best big brother I could ask for." He finished quietly.

Jess thought back to the friendly and joking Dean she had met and couldn't believe that he was hiding that guilt. Then again Jess had noticed how he seemed extremely protective of his brother and didn't want anyone going out with his brother for the wrong reasons. He was probably like that because he felt he had made Sam end up in the wheelchair. She couldn't even imagine how much guilt Dean must go through even though he knew it was not his fault and he by no means meant to drop his brother.

"That's great that you two are so close. But Dean shouldn't feel so guilty, he couldn't help what happened." She said softly and bravely reached up and put her hand in Sam's hair, twirling a strand through her fingers.

"I think that's why he smokes so much and won't quit. That bugs the hell outta me. He's been getting these really bad coughs all the time and I'm starting to get really worried about him. He always puts his health last."

Jess nodded and snuggled closer to Sam, resting her head on his shoulder. "I know what you mean. My grandma and I were really close. She smoked and I always wished she would stop. She died of cancer when I was in 8th grade and even though it wasn't lung cancer I can't help but think the smoking helped trigger it. That maybe if she never smoked, she never would have gotten sick. She was only 59 when she died."

What Jess said made Sam stop and think. Life could be so short and smoking did have its horrible effects other than just lung cancer. And Dean was open to all of them. He had totally forgotten about their deal for Dean to try the anti-smoking drug and he set it in his mind to beg Dean once he got home.

"I'm so sorry." Sam said quietly.

"It's okay." Jess smiled as he wrapped her arms around Sam's chest. "We can't live life wondering what might have happened or what could have been. We have to move on and be happy."

_Exactly Dean, you should really take this girl's advice. _Sam thought to himself.

"Oh I almost forgot!" Jess gasped suddenly, ending the conversation. "I made some cherry pie for desert! You want some?"

"Sure." Sam couldn't help but grin. He didn't even bother to sit up and tried to eat still lying down, just propping himself up on one elbow. He was managing just fine but Jess thought he looked rather uncomfortable and an idea popped into her head. She picked up her fork and brought it to Sam's mouth.

Sam looked at her strangely for a moment before he smiled and opened his mouth. On the second bite some of the pie fell off of the fork and landed on Sam's shirt causing both of them to start laughing all over. Sam hadn't met anyone he could feel so comfortable with other than Dean. He even enjoyed it being fed by a girl. Would it be wrong to say he didn't want this date to end?

* * *

Back at the motel Dean was nearly dying of boredom. First of all, they had never gone so long without their father or without a hunt and second, Sam wasn't there to keep him company.

Dean thought he could get some stuff done while Sam was gone. He fixed the rumble that had been in his dad's truck's engine and went out to buy them some more food, thinking that those tasks would take him more than enough time. But by the time Dean was done with them it had only been an hour and a half and there was still much of the day ahead.

He ended up going back inside the room and sat on the bed, he flipped through some channels but nothing was on except lame daytime TV. Dean sighed as he turned the TV off and started playing with his phone. He thought briefly about calling Sam and asking how the date was going but as tempting as it was that would just embarrass his brother in front of Jess most likely. He almost got up to go stop at the beach and see how it was going, but that would be rather mean to spy on his brother when he wanted privacy.

So Dean sat back on his bed, smoking cigarette after cigarette while worrying about his brother. He just couldn't help but be concerned how the date was going. He knew Jess was a nice girl and that she probably wouldn't hurt Sam but Dean knew how sensitive and nervous Sam was around girls. He just hoped that Sam was relaxed around Jess and felt that he could open up to her. If this date went well Dean knew it would do wonders to Sam's confidence.

Dean looked down at his pack of cigarettes and realized that there was only one left. Holy crap, he really was getting out of control with the smoking. It was only four in the afternoon and he smoked a whole pack already, Sam was right that he needed to try to quit. What Dean should do right now was stop at a pharmacy and get that drug he promised Sam he'd try. But right now he was way too nervous and anxious about the Sam's date to even attempt to cut back. He smoked more when he was antsy like he was right now. He'd try the drug later if the date went well, maybe tomorrow if he remembered.

Dean lit the last cigarette and took a long drag and realized he had to get out of this motel room before he went stir crazy. He decided to go over to the motel's pool and stripped down to his boxers. Looking down at his body he grunted and slapped at his stomach. He was gaining weight and he knew exactly why. With all his smoking Dean had trouble exercising and training for long periods of time and often sat out in fear of a coughing fit.

Dean also thought back to a couple days ago when Sam had given him a fit about the drug. Dean had taken Sam's laptop to show Sam that not everyone that smokes ended up dying. However he ended up stumbling onto a few sites that listed the effects smoking had on your body. A lot of the effects Dean didn't have, such as reduced blood flow to his fingers and toes, irritation and inflammation of his stomach and Gum disease. Or at least not yet. But it actually frightened him exactly how many effects were taking their toll on him. His voice was sounding raspier, he definitely got breathless and he learned from one doctor that he had high blood pressure and heart rate. The site informed him that smoking would weaken your immune system and Dean did realize it took him longer to heal from an illness than it did Sam. The nicotine stains on his fingers were always something that truly bothered him as well. He sadly noted that some food didn't taste as great as it used to and that was because of the constant smoking. Not to mention that his teeth weren't as white as they should be and he was getting lines around his eyes and mouth that shouldn't be there at twenty-six. And all this was due to his nasty habit.

Yeah, quitting smoking would help many more things other than the coughing.

However even with those thoughts Dean grabbed a new pack of cigarettes and headed out the door.

* * *

"So..." Jess asked causally as she stood up from the blanket and looked down at Sam with a smile. "What do you think about taking a swim?"

Sam tried to hide the shock he was feeling, but he felt his eyes grow wide and could just prevent his mouth from falling open. Him going for a swim? Was she crazy? He couldn't move his legs how would he be able to swim?

Well, it was possible, he couldn't deny that he knew that much. He could still swim by just moving his arms but he never had any practice. No one taught Sam how to swim. Dean might have, but the subject never came up. Sam just stayed away from hunts near the water out of John's fear.

Sam didn't even realize he was shaking his head stupidly until Jess frowned at him.

"Come on, you're at the beach, it's eighty five degrees and you're sitting here in jeans." She teased with a smile. "Should I help you get them off?"

Huh? What was Jess suggesting that he'd do? Go skinny dipping? No way. "I...I didn't...I'm not wearing any swim trunks." He said uncomfortably.

"That's okay. You can just swim in your boxers; a lot of guys do that." She shrugged and Sam watched as she took off her shirt and shorts and couldn't help but stare at her body in a bikini. She had the perfect shape, not super skinny but a normal looking girl. Her skin was tanned and Sam was suddenly grateful that he and Dean would sometimes lie out in the sun if they had nothing to do. Jess looked beautiful and Sam wanted nothing else but to go for a swim with her but he was worried about embarrassing himself.

"I can't swim." He told her reluctantly and Jess's expression changed to guilt. Obviously she hadn't thought about that.

"Oh." She blushed. "I'm sorry Sam, I wasn't thinking; is there...is it possible for you to swim?" She asked and knelt down to where he laid propped up on his elbows.

"Well, yeah. I'm pretty sure I could with my arms, it's just no one taught me how. I never really had time to try." He just ruined Jess's idea of having fun on this date and felt horrible about it. "I'm sorry."

Jess reached over to put a hand on his shoulder. "I could teach you." She offered a bit shyly. When Sam simply looked away and bit his lip Jess tried again. "Come on; why not give it a try. I won't let you drown." She chuckled.

Sam couldn't help but smile. The offer of going swimming with her was really tempting and he did want them to both have fun. "You promise?" He asked.

She looked at him rather seriously. "Yes, I do."

Jess helped Sam get out of his jeans, giggling as she did so. Sam never thought he would be this comfortable with a girl taking off his jeans. He was a bit nervous though about what she'd think about his skinny legs. The exercising helped but they would never look normal. But Jess didn't even seem to notice as Sam took of his shirt and got into his wheelchair. They went all the way up to the water before he got out. It was a bit awkward how Jess had to grab Sam under his armpits and practically drag him out into the water. But as the water got deeper it was easier for her to pull him and they stopped when the water was up to Jess's chest.

"See? There's nothing to be afraid of." Jess whispered as she held onto Sam. They were face to face and she had both arms wrapped around his back, holding him above the water.

It was pretty weird for Sam. He couldn't feel his legs touching the sand although he knew they were. He looked down into the water and saw how his legs pretty much sprawled out, just floating there, bent strangely, giving him no support. However the water felt great to the rest of his body, it was a wonderful sensation to just float and relax, knowing that someone who cared about him was holding on and keeping him safe.

"The water feels nice. Is it usually this warm?" Sam asked, just noticing that Jess had been staring at him with a smile on her face the whole time.

"Not really. It's been a pretty warm summer and the past couple of days have been really hot, that's why the water's so warm."

Sam just nodded and closed his eyes. He smiled as he couldn't believe that there was actually a girl that liked him that was so sweet and understanding. Jess was so patient with him and yet she was stubborn as well. She wouldn't let Sam look down on himself and knew that he was capable of doing things that even Sam was unsure he could.

"Do you want to try a few strokes?" Jess asked him, bringing him out of his thoughts. "I'll hold onto you."

Sam didn't even think twice about his answer this time. "Yeah, okay." He smiled.

Jess moved so she was standing facing his side and kept one arm on his stomach and the other on his back gently. Jess kept him sturdy as he was able to move a bit in the water using his arms with long strokes. The whole time Jess was grinning at him with this proud expression on her face.

"You think I could try it on my own?" Sam asked, feeling much braver than he had before he went into the water.

"Of course. Just start moving your arms before I let go of you."

Sam did as he was told and moved his arms under the water to keep himself afloat. Jess only barley held on before she let go completely, moving back a few feet.

Sam felt a little nervous at first, his head going under a little bit and getting some water in his mouth. But he moved his arms quicker and kept above the water. After a few seconds he moved his arms forward and was able to get in a few strokes. But his body was slowly sinking further into the water and suddenly was pushed under by one of the small waves.

He would have panicked if he had been given the time to, but the second he went under he was being pulled up and was met face to face with Jess. They stared at each other for a few seconds before they both burst out laughing. Sam wrapped his arms around her neck as laughter shook their bodies.

"Hey, I would have been able to make it back up if you would have let me." Sam joked as soon as he regained his breath.

"Oh really? Then why don't we find out?" She said and in one quick movement pounced on him so both of them were swept under. They were a tangle of arms and legs and when Sam opened his eyes under the water he wasn't lying to himself when he thought Jess was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen. Then her arms wrapped around his waist and she was pulling them both up.

Sam shook the water out of his hair like a wet dog and fake-glared at Jess. "I can't believe you just did that!" He gaped and then sent a huge splash of water her way. Jess giggled like crazy and slashed him back, Sam coughed on the water and was about to repeat his splash when Jess suddenly moved her arms so they were around his neck and pressed her lips to his. Sam grabbed onto her waist to keep himself steady.

It was short but sweet and gentle and the kiss left Sam's heart fluttering like mad. When she pulled away, Sam gently laid his hand on the back of her head and kissed Jess the same way. The smile on her face afterward made Sam want to kiss her a million times more.

* * *

They stayed in the water for a while more. When they got out Sam dragged himself out of the water. He didn't want to get back into his wheelchair, though, because he was wet and had sand sticking to him everywhere. So he just continued to drag himself on his elbows back to the towels while Jess moved his wheelchair back.

Sam plopped down on the towels with exhaustion. He was as tired as hell but he also couldn't imagine ever being happier except for the day he found his family. He glanced over at Jess to find out that she wasn't lying next to him but sitting with her knees propped up and her arms wrapped around them with a sad expression on her face.

Immediately Sam worried that he did something wrong and all of his happiness vanished at once.

"Is something wrong?" He asked hesitantly. "Did...did you not have a good time?"

Jess looked startled. "Oh not at all Sam! I had a wonderful time. I don't want the afternoon to end so I don't have to go home." She sighed.

Sam almost didn't ask but he thought it wouldn't hurt. "Why don't you want to go home?"

Jess laughed without humor. "It's nothing."

Sam leaned on one elbow to look at her. "No it's not. It's clearly bothering you and I want to know what's wrong."

Jess just shook her head. "You'll think I'm insane."

Sam just smiled. "I'm pretty sure I won't."

Jess looked away as she answered. "Ever since we moved into the new cabin I've been hearing all of these weird noises. A lot of the time they keep me up at night and the thing is, my parents claim that they don't hear them. I would think I was going crazy but the sounds are so real, I know that they are there. And the past few days I've been seeing this....figure in my house in the shape of a person, it looks like a woman. But if I look away or start to scream it will disappear. Sam...I know this sounds crazy but I think there is a ghost in my house."

Sam's face remained passive the whole time Jess spoke which was not what she expected. And she definitely did not expect what he said next.

"Jess, I believe you."

"What?" She asked, caught of guard. "You do?"

"Let's just say my family has had some experiences of our own." He smiled a secretive smile. "Maybe one day I could come to your house and try to see what's going on, if I hear it to."

Jess let out a breath of relief. "Thank you." She said in earnest. "I never thought someone would ever believe me." She smiled at Sam and grabbed a towel. "Hey, let me help you get dry."

Sam watched how she gently toweled his wet legs, moving them carefully, but without timidity when she brushed away the sand. She looked adorable and more at ease as before.

Jess finally found someone that would believe her, but Sam had just stumbled upon a hunt.


	7. Chapter 7

_Chpater begins with Sam driving Jess back home after the date. Thanks for reading._

* * *

Sam pulled into Jess's driveway and then turned to face her with a smile on his face. Jess did the same.

"So...are you glad I showed up at your motel room today?" She asked him.

Sam couldn't help but feel extremely embarrassed about how he had acted earlier. He kept pushing Jess aside because he had been afraid when there was no reason at all to be scared.

"I'm really glad." Sam told her with a small smile. "And I'm really sorry about how I gave you such a hard time when you tried asking me out. It's just...I had this really bad experience with a girl not too long ago."

"It's okay Sam. I know, Dean told me about it."

Sam felt his cheeks burn with humiliation. Oh god, his brother just couldn't keep his big mouth shut now could he?

Jess must have seen his flushed cheeks because she quickly reassured him. "Hey, he just told me you had a bad date with a really rude girl. He wasn't saying it to embarrass you; he was telling me so I would know why you seemed so shy towards me."

Sam rubbed a hand through his hair awkwardly. "Yeah, well...she wouldn't even talk to me on the date. It was really humiliating."

He turned away to look straight ahead when he felt Jess grab his hand in hers.

"I can't believe that there would be any girl out there that wouldn't want to talk to you. Not only are you extremely cute, but you're the nicest guy and you're so fun to be around." She said while rubbing her thumb lightly over the top of his hand.

Sam blushed again like mad. He knew he wasn't bad looking but he never thought a girl would think he was 'extremely cute' when he was sitting permanently in a wheelchair.

"Well, she didn't want to be seen with a cripple." Sam shrugged. "I've never had a girlfriend. All throughout high school me and Dean were seen as the misfits. No girls really showed an interest in either of us."

Jess's eyes nearly bugged out of her head. "You never had a girlfriend? Are they blind? And...seriously...no girls showed an interest in _Dean_? He seems like quite the ladies man, if you know what I mean. And he seems like a really nice guy too."

Sam shrugged. "We also moved around all the time, so it's not like we got to really meet people. Me and Dean always stuck with each other. And with Dean...he...well girls would seem interested in him, until...." He couldn't go on as he felt his throat clench up with anger at remembering how people had treated and laughed at his brother back in high school. He felt better however when Jess brought her hand up to rest on his shoulder.

"Until what Sam?" She asked gently and he found that the sound of her caring voice allowed him to continue.

"Some of them would turn away when they found out he smoked. But all of them...they'd seem interested but once they found out he was dyslexic...."

"Dean's dyslexic?" Jess asked and by the tone of her voice this came as a shock to her.

Sam nodded. "Yeah, he is. Kids would laugh at him all the time when he had to read out loud in class. When I first met him his dyslexia was really bad and he could hardly read. Kids treated him like shit and he was so shocked when I would still talk to him after all their laughter."

Jess gaped at him. "That's horrible, god you hear about kids being so cruel but you never think it would be that bad." She shook her head. "Is his reading better now?"

Sam managed a smile. "Yeah, it is. Me and our dad helped him with that. He still has a little bit of a hard time but we get him books with bigger print and stuff."

Jess just couldn't believe what a hard time Sam and Dean must have had as teenagers, and surely they'd have a lot more hardships to come since they both had lifelong disabilities. These guys didn't deserve being treated badly by other people; they were both too nice for that.

"You both are really nice guys. Neither of you deserved that crap from people." She said and Sam smiled at her tone.

"Thanks for not judging us. Sorry I've talked so much about myself and my family, we hardly talked about yours."

Jess laughed. "There's a reason for that. My family is so boring that there _is _nothing to talk about. Just me and my parents. I don't have any siblings although now I wish I did seeing how close you and Dean are. I was pretty close with my cousins but you know, we all grew up and went our separate ways, although I do still talk with them once in a while."

"That's good that you have other family to talk to. I don't know any of my family other than my dad and Dean and our good friend Bobby. I guess my mom's family just vanished after she died and my dad doesn't talk about his so...it's just the three of us guys." He smiled as he saw something in the distance outside Jess's window. "Don't look now but I think we're being watched."

Jess spun around just in time to see her father duck out of the way from where he had been watching them in their garden. She blushed. "Oh god, how did I know he'd be watching us? My dad's very protective when it comes to me dating guys. He wants only the best for his only daughter." Jess said and rolled her eyes.

Sam bit his lip and let out a nervous laugh. "Bet he'll be disappointed in me then."

Jess cocked her head to one side. "What do you mean?"

Sam sighed. "Well, you said he wanted the best for his daughter. I'm sure that doesn't include a paralyzed guy." Sam knew he really shouldn't start feeling sorry for himself in front of Jess but he couldn't shake off the feeling that her father would be disappointed in who she was dating.

"Sam." Jess said gently and reached up even further to cup his face in her hands. "My family isn't like those stupid kids you had to deal with in school. We don't judge people. I don't know why my parents would be disappointed when I just dated the nicest guy I've ever met."

Sam felt a little better at that. "Thanks. You better get going before your dad freaks out." He smiled. "I had a really good time today, thanks for everything."

"So did I." Jess grinned and leaned over to give him a quick kiss. "I'll see you later right?"

Sam laughed. "Yeah you will."

* * *

Jessica's father Dave Moore was out tending to the plants in his garden when he saw a black Chevy Impala pull up in his driveway. He smiled as he remembered his daughter told him she had a date with a boy she met the other day and he hoped everything went well. However he was insanely curious about this boy and wanted to know if he looked like a nice kid and not a stuck up jerk. He wanted all his daughter's dates to treat her well and with respect, he hasn't liked all of Jess's boyfriends in the past but usually she knows what boys to stick with and which ones aren't worth her time.

He quietly crept over to the side of the garden by the fence, being careful that he wouldn't be seen. Dave pretended to pull out weeds when he was really spying.

It was a little difficult to see in the setting sun but the kid in the front seat turned to face his daughter and he got a perfect view of his face. Dave liked what he saw: a good looking young man with a bright smile on his face. He watched the two of them interact and was glad when he saw that this kid seemed really kind, even a little shy. It didn't look like he was stuck on himself like so many young men were. He saw that the kid's eyes looked his way and Dave quickly ducked down, peering out between the fence links to see both him and his daughter laughing. He hoped it wasn't him they were laughing at.

The young man talked with Jessica for a bit more and they kissed once before she got out of the car. Jessica walked over to the driver's side and ducked down as he said something and then pulled his daughter in for another gentle kiss. He liked this kid and the way he was so gentle with her and didn't attack her like she was a piece of meat, he knew a lot of boys could be rough.

However all of his happy thoughts vanished when Jess walked back around to the other side of the car and opened the back door. He saw his daughter grab a _wheelchair _from the backseat and put it on the passenger seat.

His daughter was dating a disabled boy? No way. There had to be another explanation.

Dave was too lost in his thoughts that he never noticed his daughter approach him.

"Dad! What the heck were you doing? Me and Sam could see you out there watching us! Do you know how embarrassing that is?" She pouted and crossed her arms, not looking too happy.

"Sorry." He said automatically. "But Jessica...is this boy..."

"His name is Sam." Jess corrected him.

"Okay, Sam. So...is Sam...is he disabled?" He didn't mean for his voice to come out harsh but it did, and Jessica picked up on it right away.

She stared at him blankly before a mixture of emotions passed through her face. She looked surprised, hurt, and then angry.

"Yes Dad, Sam is disabled! His legs are paralyzed, so what?!" She was practically screaming at him and Dave felt a little bad for bringing the subject up.

"So I want the best for you Jessica, you know that. This boy is in a wheelchair..."

"Yeah Dad, he is! Sam is in a wheelchair! How does that make him any less of a person?" Jess interrupted him, balling her fists which was something she only did when she was terribly mad.

"I never said that makes him any less of a person..."

"You may as well have! You said you want the best for me and obviously Sam doesn't fit your description! I can't believe it! This is what Sam was afraid of....my parents not accepting him! But no I had to go and tell him he had nothing to worry about and that you wouldn't judge him, yet here you are doing just that!" Jess growled and went to move past Dave but he grabbed her arm to pull her back.

"Jess, I just want you to have a boy that can provide for you and take care of you. I want you to be happy." He tried to explain himself.

"God, Dad! You're acting like we're going to get married or something! I went on one date with him! And yeah, I do really like him but that doesn't mean I'm going to spend the rest of my life with him, he's not even my boyfriend yet!" She tugged to get out of her father's grip but realized it was a useless attempt and sighed. "I was happier with Sam than I've ever been with my past boyfriends. He treats me so well Dad and he can take care of me just fine. I got grabbed by a drunken man today..."

"You what?!" Dave gasped and turned her around to face him. "Are you alright, did he hurt you?"

Jess shrugged slightly out of his strong grasp. "Yes, I am fine. Thanks to Sam. He attacked the guy and made sure he didn't hurt me."

Dave was nearly speechless. "Sam...he's in a wheelchair...how did he manage that?"

"He's not an invalid Dad!" And there was that aggravated tone once again. "Sam can take care of himself and me perfectly fine. You were the one that always told me not to judge people and treat everyone equally, no matter their race, religion or disability. But now you're telling me the opposite!"

"I don't have a problem with this boy! I just have a problem with..." Dave stopped upon realizing where this sentence was going but it was too late.

"You have a problem with me dating him." Jess finished for him. "You're such a hypocrite!" At that moment Jess yanked her arm out of Dave's grasp and stormed towards the house. However right at that moment her mother, Jen, came outside upon hearing all the noise.

"What is all this commotion about Jessica?" She asked with a sigh.

"I just got back from my date with Sam." Jess said in a clipped tone.

"Oh yeah, the date! I completely forgot honey with work and all. How was it? How was Sam?" Jen asked with interest as she and Jess sat together on the porch.

"It was great, and I really like Sam. But Dad wants me to ditch him, the nicest guy I've ever met, just because he can't walk."

Jen turned to face Dave, her face showing confusion.

Dave sighed when he turned to his wife to explain the situation, hoping she at least would understand him. He wasn't trying to be the bad guy; he just wanted his daughter to date the best guy possible for her. And while Sam was able to protect his daughter this one time, what made it possible that he could do so again? The kid could have been just lucky.

"Jen, the kid's in a wheelchair." Dave said lamely and knew right away that it was the wrong thing to say.

"And why should that be a problem to you Dave?" Jen asked irritably. "If Jessica likes him then why shouldn't we? She's an adult now; we should be able to trust her judgment."

"I just want someone that's able to provide for her!" Dave sighed; he was getting sick and tired of trying to explain his point.

"He can provide for me just fine! I don't think there's one thing Sam can't do! He has so much to offer! He protected me at the beach, he taught his dyslexic older brother how to read, he loves his family...now I don't know about you Dad but I think that sounds like an awfully kind and sweet guy to me." Jess folded her arms from where she sat, staring daggers into her father's eyes.

"I agree with Jessica Dave. Sam sounds like a great guy and actually I'd love to meet him. Why don't you call him and invite him over to dinner tomorrow Jess?" She suggested.

"But what about Dad?" She sighed and spared a quick glance over at Dave before snapping her head away.

"Give your father a chance. We both want the best for you so don't condemn him for being worried. It's what parents are meant to be. I'm sure once he gets to know your friend everything will be alright." It was meant to be a whisper but Dave heard every word.

Maybe she was right, maybe he was just making too big of a deal over the boy being in a wheelchair.

Well, he'd find out tomorrow.

* * *

Sam entered the motel room with a huge smile on his face, waiting for Dean to pounce on him with snarky remarks and questions right away. However, upon entering Sam realized that the room was completely vacant of his brother.

"Dean?" Sam called out into the room, hoping that his brother's voice would ring out through the bathroom. When that didn't happen Sam checked the room and found it to be empty as well. Panic started to set in and his good mood was completely wiped away with worry for Dean. Where the hell was he? Did something happen while Sam was gone?

Looking through the room, he saw that there were no signs of a struggle so Dean must have gone out somewhere. There was no reason to panic, he most likely headed out to a bar or went to hook up with some girls. While this made Sam a little upset that Dean wouldn't want to wait up for him, at least it would mean that his brother was safe.

There was only one way to find out so Sam called Dean's cell, heart pounding as the first four rings went unanswered. But then...

"S'mmy?" Dean sounded groggy and tired but he didn't sound like he was in any sort of pain or trouble. Sam let himself breathe a sigh of relief.

"Yeah, it's me you jerk. Where the hell are you? I come back and you're not here, you scared me half to death." Sam listened as he heard mumbling and swearing on the other line and then a very long groan.

"Fuck Sammy...I went out to the pool and I must have fallen asleep. God, oh man!" Dean groaned loudly and then there was a crash as if Dean had just ran into something. Sam could picture that just fine.

"Dude, are you drunk?" He laughed. "I didn't think alcohol was allowed over by the pool."

"No! I'm not freakin' drunk! I was passed outside here for hours man! I have a sunburn from Hell!" He hissed.

"Come on Dean, it can't be that bad. You were already tan before so it can't be like you burned much." Sam rolled his eyes.

He heard his brother huff on the other line. "Fine, maybe it's not but it still stings like a bitch. I'll be at the room in a second." And with that Dean hung up the phone, only to arrive at the door twenty seconds later.

Sam took in Dean's beat red nose and shoulders. His arms were a little red too but it wasn't anything bad. "Dude, you've had way worse sunburns than this." He shook his head in mock annoyance.

Dean sent him a fake scowl as he sat on the edge of his bed near Sam. "Shut the hell up and tell me how your date went." Sam saw as Dean's mouth crept into a smile without him even meaning to. "You look a little on the burnt side too little brother."

"Yeah well that's because we spent the afternoon on the beach, having a picnic and then we went for a swim." Sam smirked as Dean's eyes grew huge.

"Sam, you swam man?" He gasped.

"Well not exactly. I kinda sucked and Jess held me up most of the time but it was nice."

"Oooh she held you huh? Getting a little touchy feely there isn't she? You guys kissed didn't you? Please tell me you guys kissed."

Sam laughed at how Dean sounded like a whiny little child begging for a cookie. "Yeah we did. A few times." He blushed.

"Haha, that's my boy Sammy!" Dean full out grinned and held his hand out to give Sam a hi-five at which Sam couldn't help it but return the gesture. "See, I told you this whole date would work out. Big brother's always right!"

"Heh, I hate to admit it but you are. Thanks for tempting me to go Dean; I wouldn't be able to do it without you."

Dean took one look at those dreaded puppy dog eyes and knew that he had to abruptly change the subject. "No problem, I'm awesome, I know. What's that you got?"

Sam looked down at the little box he had brought in from the car. "Oh, we had pie at the beach. I told Jess how much you loved pie and she cut out a piece for me to give to you." Sam told him and held out the box to him at which Dean snagged up.

"Sammy bro, I think I'm in love with this girl. You better watch out man."

Sam just laughed and hoisted himself onto the bed so he was sitting next to Dean. He leaned back using his hands and watched as Dean devoured the pie. Looking at Dean up close with no shirt on he noticed something he hadn't before. Dean was filling out a bit, gaining some weight. It was weird, his brother had always been so fit and muscular, his exercise always canceling out all the junk he ate. But now that Sam thought of it, Dean hadn't been getting a lot of exercise lately. It wasn't like Dean was getting fat, his chest muscles weren't as defined and he was filling out a little bit in his stomach. Sam knew the weight gain had to do with Dean's smoking, if he did exercise he couldn't do it for long without coughing all over the place. But weight gain was the least of Dean's problems with smoking, Sam wanted to bring up using the drug again but he didn't want to ruin his good mood.

Sam had been too lost in his happiness that he almost forgot about the ghost in Jess's house.

"Hey Dean, I forgot to tell you something." Sam said and Dean looked over and wagged his eyebrows at him with a pie-filled smirk. "Don't worry it's nothing about the date." Sam rolled his eyes. "Jess...she told me something that's been happening in her house. She's been seeing a woman in her house that keeps disappearing. I think there's a ghost in her house."

Dean stuffed the last bit of pie in his mouth and swallowed loudly. "What's her house's history?"

Sam fell back on the bed with a sigh. "I don't know."

Dean raised one eyebrow. "You didn't ask her?"

Sam grimaced at him. "How in hell should I have done that without telling her who we are? She would have wondered why a traveling salesman asked her weird questions like these."

"Well then it would be the first time that you can't come up with a believable story."

"Yeah, maybe, but I didn't want to lie at her."

"Then tell her about us."

Sam leant back up on his elbows and pushed himself back on the bed so he was leaning against the bed rest. Now he could look his brother in the eye when he exploded.

"WHAT? Dean, are you insane?! We can't tell her what we do, she'd think I'm a freak! She'd...."

"Sam! Chill out man!" Dean interrupted him. ""She thought it was cool that we were travelling salesman, how much cooler would it be that we were hunters?"

Sam just rolled his eyes. "She'd call the next shrink if I told her."

"Ah, come on Sam, Jess is the most open minded girl I've ever met. I have a feeling that you can trust her."

Sam sighed, his fingers fidgeting at the hem of his shirt. "This has nothing to do with trust, Dean. I completely trust her. But dating a guy in a wheelchair is weird enough. Dating a hunter would be even weirder. But a hunter in a wheelchair? She'll never buy that."

Dean shrugged. "Just give it a try. If you want to help her, we'll have to get rid of the ghost. Would you rather not tell her but have her see us barge into her house and have to kick her out using lies? This way she has a chance to understand what we're doing and how we can help her."

Sam groaned. Why did everything have to be so complicated? He finally met a girl that liked him for who he was and now he had to freak her out with his supernatural hunting. But Dean was right, he didn't want Jess to find out he was hiding something or lying about anything. Jess should be able to like him for who he truly was.

At that moment Sam's phone rang and he shifted to grab it out of his pocket, expecting it to be his dad. He was shocked when he saw Jess's number.

"Hey Jess." Sam answered and Dean cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Hey Sam! Listen, my parents wanted me to invite you to dinner tomorrow evening. Would you like to come over? They really want to meet you."

Sam felt his heart skip a beat. "Umm, I don't know, Jess, umm, did you tell your parents that I'm in a wheelchair?"

Jess laughed. "Don't worry about that, Sam. They know and they still want to meet you."

While Sam was extremely nervous about doing just that, it would actually be the perfect opportunity. He could meet Jess's parents and show them that he was not a useless cripple in a wheelchair and he could also see if he could spot the ghost.

"Yeah Jess, that sounds great. Umm but do you think you could stop by the motel before? I have to tell you something."

Dean raised an appreciative eyebrow at him and Sam smirked back.

Jess was silent for a few moments. "Yes, of course, would early in the afternoon be okay?" Jess paused for a moment. "Everything is still okay between us, isn't it?"

Sam smiled into his cell. "Yeah, of course it is."

Sam heard Jess breathe a relieved sigh. "Oh okay, you had me worried there for a minute. I don't have to work tomorrow so I can come by anytime. Just give me a call when you feel like it."

Sam agreed and they said their goodbyes. Once he hung up he felt Dean punch him in the shoulder.

"Haha let me guess! She was asking you out on a second date wasn't she? I told you girls couldn't resist the Winchester charm!" Dean was grinning and holding a freshly lit cigarette in his right hand. Sam's nose twitched at the smell that he had been free of for the past few hours. He had never realized just how fresh the world actually smelt when you weren't living with a smoker 24/7. If Dean ever decided to quit it would benefit their whole family.

"Actually she did. She invited me over to her house for dinner tomorrow." Sam smirked.

Dean's grin grew wider until it suddenly fell and his face was filled with fear. "Wait, you can't do that Sammy. The house is haunted remember?"

Sam rolled his eyes. "Exactly. That's why it would be perfect for me to go."

"No, I'm not going to let you go alone." Dean shook his head quickly.

Sam gawked at his brother. "Dean? Seriously? Why the hell couldn't I go alone?"

Dean must have been getting frustrated because he put out his cigarette. "We don't know how dangerous this ghost is or what it is capable of. I don't want you getting hurt."

"Dean, I'm perfectly capable of handling myself with one little ghost in the house. Jess said it's only been making noises."

"Yeah, it's not so dangerous now but if it finds out that you want to get rid of it, you know that it will go insane." Dean pointed out.

"It's not like I'm going there to hunt the thing! Just to see if anything strange happens!" He glared at his brother.

"We always do these things together. I don't want to be responsible for you going alone and something happening to you. I won't let that happen." Dean said sternly and while Sam could deal with Dean's over-protectiveness most of the time...this was just ridiculous!

"When I didn't even really know how to hunt I saved you and Dad from those vampires. Don't tell me that I can't handle being in the same house with a ghost."

"Yeah you did help us but then you were about to get strangled if it wasn't for Dad. We always need backup Sammy, we weren't trained otherwise."

"And what do you want me to do for the date then Dean? I can't just fancy on in, dragging my big brother along now can I? Not unless I want to look like the world's biggest loser." Sam shot back angrily and that seemed to get Dean's attention.

"I guess you couldn't do that." He replied quietly and Sam felt a little bad. Dean was just worried about him and while it was annoying as hell he knew it was because Dean cared.

"Listen, why don't I stay somewhere really close to their house? Like a bar or something right down the road. That way if something happens you can call me and I can be right there in a flash." Dean suggested.

Sam felt the need to roll his eyes but stopped from doing so. He'd go along with Dean just to humor him. "Yeah, sure Dean." He agreed.

"All right, then that's settled. Just don't use it to your advantage and be callin' me for advice on what to say to her parents." He grinned and unfortunately lit up another cigarette and took a deep drag.

Sam huffed and rolled his eyes. "Dude, you never _met _any girl's parents so I'm sure you wouldn't be the one I'd be asking for advice."

* * *

Jessica was just about to fall into a light sleep when the air around her suddenly got cold. She was used to this; it was what would happen when the ghost was near. Usually she'd look up to try to find the ghost and shoe it away but tonight had been such a good night and she was really hoping to get some peace and quiet. It was almost as if she had completely forgotten about the ghost while she was with Sam and now reality hit her hard. Something was haunting her house and would not leave her alone. Jess grabbed her pillow and threw it over her head; holding onto it tightly as if that alone could will the stupid thing away. She shivered in the unreal coldness and tried to even her breathing. Maybe if she didn't move the thing wouldn't bother her….maybe it wouldn't attack her if she pretended it wasn't there. However the temperature continued to drop and Jess knew the ghost was getting closer. Usually it didn't venture this far into her room and she was getting frightened. She hitched a sob and wondered why she was chosen to get haunted by this ghost. What had she done that deserved this?

Slowly she peered from behind the safety of her pillow but saw nothing. Maybe the ghost had given up? Or maybe it had all been a bad dream. She slowly turned around in hope only to be met face to face with a young woman who stared at her with broken eyes. Jess let out a strangled yelp and moved as far back in her bed as she could. She had never seen the ghost so up close before, it had never been as visible as it was now. All she knew before was that it had the form of a woman but now she could make out all its features. It was a brunette woman, maybe a little older than her, wearing outdated jeans and a t-shirt and she looked extremely pissed off.

"What do you want from me?" Jess asked quietly when she could find her voice.

The ghost sneered. "You little bitch." It hissed and Jess flinched at hearing the echoing voice. "You stole him away from me! You're the one that changed him...he loved me! He loved me until you came along!"

Jess was at loss for words. Who could this ghost be talking about? Sam was the one she was dating but surely the ghost couldn't be talking about him.

"I...I don't know what you're talking about." Jess whispered while eyeing the door, ready to make a run for it.

"He was my husband! You don't mess with a married man!" The ghost screeched and reached an angry hand out but luckily Jess was ready to run as she bolted out the door. She almost tripped on herself as she made her way into her parents' room and slammed the door behind her.

Both her parents were wide awake in an instant.

"Jess, honey what's wrong?" Jen asked in a worried tone and Jess hurried over to her side of the bed.

"Mom, I saw the person in my room again. I'm not kidding, I know it sounds insane but there is a ghost in the house!" Jess hated the way her voice broke and went up an octave, but maybe that would help her parents actually believe her.

"Ugh, Jessica. Not this _again._ You're having nightmares honey." She heard her father say as he rolled over in his bed to face her.

"I am NOT having nightmares! I saw it sitting upright in my bed! I was NOT sleeping!" She yelled.

"Jessica sweetie." Her mother said gently, worry evident on her face. "We even went in your room and found nothing."

"You still haven't heard any of the noises I've been hearing all the time?!" Jess scoffed. "The whispering?"

Dave bit his lip. "Maybe we should get you checked out honey..." He said thoughtfully.

"No! No! I don't need to get checked out...I just...." She sighed in defeat.

"You're not five years old Jess. I feel like I'm explaining this whole 'monsters and ghosts' don't exist thing to you all over again." Dave said quietly.

"Sam believed me." Jess replied in a whisper.

"He was just probably trying to be nice Jessica; he did sound like the kind type." Her mother told her and that really got Jess thinking. What if Sam really didn't believe her this whole time and just said so to get this crazy chick to shut up?

"Yeah. Maybe you're right. I might just be overly tired and seeing things." She told her parents even though she knew what she saw. "Goodnight."

Jess sighed and slowly walked downstairs into the living room. Maybe this way she could get some peace and quiet. There was no way she was going to sleep in her room tonight.

* * *

Jess arrived at the motel at three in the afternoon the next day just like she promised Sam earlier in the morning. She was greeted by a grinning Dean but Sam was nowhere in sight.

"Hey Dean." She smiled, trying not to make a face at the strong smell of smoke in the room. Even on her date with Sam the younger brother had reeked of smoke even though he never touched a cigarette. The smell in the motel room was just about atrocious but Jess wasn't going to dare say anything and hurt Dean's feelings.

"Hey." Dean never stopped grinning. "Come on in. Sam's still in the shower. I swear, I never thought a guy could take a shower so long. I guess he wants to smell really nice for you."

Jess shook her head with a laugh at Dean's humor. "How long's he been in there?"

"About twenty minutes." Dean replied with a roll of his eyes and Jess watched as he popped a piece of Nicorette gum in his mouth. He obviously was uncomfortable about smoking around her and while Jess really didn't mind she respected Dean a lot for that. "Go ahead and sit down." He offered and pointed out the bed and chairs

"Hey, I usually take thirty minutes! And I don't have to bother with a wheelchair." She laughed and when Dean's jaw dropped she laughed harder.

"A half hour? Doesn't your skin shrivel up into raisins?" He shook his head dramatically. "Well you are a girl. Sammy isn't...not that I know of anyway...so he has no excuse."

"There's nothing wrong with being clean, Dean." She pointed out with a grin. She was already feeling better about the events that had happened last night.

"Hey, I clean myself very well, thank you. Five minutes is all it takes. I guess with all that hair Sam does have an excuse though." He nodded to himself while chomping on his gum. "Every year from his birthday I buy him these girly shampoos and you know what? He actually _uses them!"_

Jess couldn't seem to stop laughing while Dean was talking to her; he was exactly the type of guy she would have wanted in an older brother. "When is Sam's birthday? When is yours?" She asked once her laughter died down.

"Sam's is May 2nd. 'Course he gets the birthday in the spring. I'm stuck in winter. January 24th."

Jess couldn't help it as her mouth dropped open. It wasn't that weird, a lot of people had the same birthdays. But she couldn't help but feel a little surprised that Sam's brother shared her birthday.

"That's my birthday too!" She said, sounding excited for really no reason at all.

Dean looked shocked as well. "Well I'll be damned. Now Sammy has to buy double the presents on that day. Poor kid." He said with a chuckle.

"I think I can manage Dean." Jess turned around to see Sam sitting in his wheelchair just outside the bathroom door. How she didn't hear him come out, Jess had no idea and she didn't really care because she couldn't keep her eyes off of Sam.

Sam's hair was dripping wet, his bangs plastered to his forehead and little bits sticking up from the top of his head. Droplets of water flowed down the side of his face and caught in his adorable dimples from the smirk he was wearing. There was a thin layer of water that he hadn't completely dried off of his arms and it just made his muscles seem that much stronger, the light reflecting off the sheen of water. She silently cursed that Sam hadn't come out shirtless, she wouldn't mind looking at his chiseled chest again. He looked gorgeous; there just wasn't any other word for it.

"Sorry for still being in the shower when you came. Dean and I just got back from the rehab center not too long ago. A therapist kept us late." He said with an apologetic smile. "So you have the same birthday as Dean?"

"I guess I do." Jess replied, still intently staring at the beauty that was Sam. It was only when Sam blushed did she realize what she had been doing and saw Dean from the corner of her eye wag his eyebrows. "So, what happened at the rehab center that you had to stay late for?"

Sam only blushed deeper, not answering. His brother spoke up for him.

"This one therapist saw Sam exercising and he thinks Sammy's ready to try walking with crutches." Dean's grin just got bigger.

"It wouldn't be really walking." Sam said and rubbed the back of his neck which Jess found so cute. "I'd just be using the crutches to move my legs forward. And I would need leg braces to keep my needs from buckling."

Sam seemed embarrassed for some unknown reason but Jess had no idea why.

"Sam, that's awesome, that's really cool!" She told him with pride.

Sam shrugged. "Eh, it seems like it would be such a big hassle. I wouldn't be using them much."

"Sammy, you've gotta admit it would be cool to use them once in a while." Dean told him.

"Yeah, it would I guess." He said and reached a hand up to wipe his forehead of the dripping water Jess had been watching.

"I think it would be cool to see just how tall you are." She told Sam, hoping it would help him.

Sam ended up smiling. "Yeah? Maybe you could come to one of my therapy sessions sometime with me and Dean. If you want to."

"I'd like that." She told him and conversation stopped for a moment. Jess didn't know rather to bring up the next subject or not.

"Uhmm. Sammy, I found some stuff about the house while you were in the shower." Dean changed the subject.

Sam's expression looked startled. "Oh okay. Good."

"What are you guys looking for?" Jess asked and then regretted it right away. She shouldn't be snooping in other people's business.

"Information about your house and the property so we can find out about the ghost." Dean told her simply.

Holy crap! Dean knew about the ghost too! Why...why in the world would Sam tell him? Jess felt disappointed. Perhaps Sam told his brother to make fun of her? They both surely thought she was crazy. Dean had got to think his brother was dating some kind of lunatic.

"You..." Holding her tears at bay, Jess turned around to face Sam. "You told Dean?"

Sam looked at her softly. "Yeah, I did."

"But...why?"

"So he can be able to help you as well. We both believe you Jess."

"You...you do?" She asked in disbelief, looking back and forth between the brothers.

"Yeah." Dean answered her.

"But, but why would you," Jess stammered. "Not even my parents believe me."

Dean smiled at her. "Because ghosts are part of our job."

Jess stared at him for a long moment. "What? What do you mean 'our job'?"

She heard Sam sigh and she looked over to see him wheeling towards her. He stopped right in front of where she was sitting on the bed and grabbed her hands tight around his.

"Jess...we're really not traveling salesmen. What we do....not many people would believe us. Maybe you will though from your own supernatural experience. Me and Dean and our father....we hunt things. Things like ghosts and demons and vampires that most people think are fairytales."

Jess blinked, looked at Sam, and then over to Dean whom both had the most serious looks on their faces. "Sam." She said quietly. "Do you mean to tell me that all those things are real? Not just ghosts?"

"Yeah." Sam nodded. "It's why we move around all the time."

"People are being tortured and harmed by these creatures every day." Came Dean's deep baritone. "We look up mysterious deaths and crimes in the newspaper to see if it would be something supernatural. If we think it is, we visit that place and rid it of the evil there. We save people's lives."

"How." Jess asked, not willing to believe this just yet. "How do you know about all this?"

"A demon killed our mom when I was a baby and started the house fire. We also think the demon has something to do with me miraculously escaping from the fire at six months old." Sam told her.

"Our dad wanted revenge on the demon that took our mom and that he thought was responsible for Sammy's death." So he started to learn all about the supernatural and trained me, then trained Sammy when we found him."

"I....this...." Jess found it very hard to form words at the moment. "This...this is insane...you know that...right?"

Sam smiled sadly. "Yeah. We know."

She took a very deep breath and stared at these two men. Even though she didn't know them very well, they were indeed two of the kindest men she had ever encountered. They just couldn't be lying. She found that very hard to believe. And anyway...she did see a ghost herself, which before she never thought existed. Who's to say these other things didn't exist as well?

Sam and Dean were both looking at her in nervous anticipation while she took her time to digest what she just had heard.

"But...I believe you." She said finally.

Dean smiled at her with an "I told Sam so" expression on his face while Sam just stared at her in sheer shock.

"You do?!" Sam asked with an incredulousness that made him look utterly adorable to Jess.

She laughed nervously. "Well you two believed me when no one else did. Why shouldn't I?"

* * *

_Okay so I had a bunch more planed for this chapter but then it would have been nearly double in length and I don't think everything else would have fit together in this chapter. Plus. this seemed like a good ending spot. Good thing is you get to read this early and I should have the rest written and posted soon. I'm really excited to post the next chapter, it's the one I've been looking forward to since I started writing this story! hehehe_


	8. Chapter 8

_FINALLY! I'm finally done with the part I have been waiting to write for so long. lol I hope everyone will enjoy it. :)_

_Also, I want to thank my beta Gabi once again for all her help and the AWESOME scenes she added in. And for also for putting up with my crap mistakes._

* * *

In front of their motel room, Dean and Sam looked after Jess who just drove out of the parking lot.

Sam shook his head. "I never would've thought she'd believe us."

Dean smirked at him, fishing a cigarette out of a new pack. "I told you she would."

"Yeah." Sam grimaced when Dean lit the cigarette. "You also told me you would quit smoking."

"And I will." Dean blew the smoke up into the sunny sky. "But not now when there's a hunt ahead. I'd be too nervous and jittery to do a good job if I stopped now."

Sam spun his wheelchair around, missing Dean's toes by a fraction of an inch. "You know what Dean?" he spat angrily. "You always have an excuse. You couldn't stop because you were nervous about my date, now you can't stop because of a hunt. That's crap, Dean and I'm getting tired of it. You just don't want to quit."

Sam strode inside, leaving a perplexed Dean behind. "Come on, Sammy, give me a chance," Dean called after his brother. "I will stop. Right after the hunt."

Dean heard Sam huff from inside and sighed. He didn't like it when Sam was upset with him but he could understand his brother's anger. After all he had promised him to quit.

"Time to change the subject," he muttered to himself before he entered their room. "Hey Sammy, you want to know what I found out about Jess's place?"

This had Sam's attention. It was essential that he knew as much about the haunted place as possible. He cast a glance at Dean that told the older brother clearly that the smoking issue was postponed for the time being but not forgotten. "Tell me."

"Well..." Dean said and paused to take a drag of his cigarette. "It looks like the place was actually burnt down before."

"What?" Sam asked. "Then who rebuilt it?"

Dean shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe Jess's parents did...maybe the city asked for it to be rebuilt. All it says was that the house was rebuilt a few years ago. But the thing is...The fire happened about five years ago. That's a fairly recent spirit. Did Jess ever tell you when they moved in?"

Sam thought back to one of the conversations he had with Jess on the beach. "Yeah, she said they just moved in this year. But they lived in a smaller summer house around here before."

"So." Dean started and blew smoke out of his mouth. "That means there have been people that lived there before them. We should try to find out who lived there when the fire started and if they somehow might be connected to the ghost. Maybe one of them is our vengeful spirit."

"You couldn't find what happened to the people online?"

"Hey, this is a small town, they probably don't want their information all out on the web." Dean pointed out and took a drag only to end up coughing.

Dean heard Sam sigh but he patiently waited until his older brother was done with his dry, hacking cough and didn't mention it for once. However, the look Sam gave him was enough. Dean ignored it, or at least pretended to.

"I'll try to find out some information tonight." Sam told him and went over to the sink to fill up a glass of water. "I just hope Jess's parents won't think I'm a lunatic when I'm asking those questions." He cringed, put the glass of water between his legs and rolled over to Dean. "Here." He said and handed it to the older brother.

"Thanks." Dean said with a rough voice and took a long sip of the water, letting it soothe his throat. "Just play it cool when you're talking to them. Ask them if they knew the people that lived there before and if they knew the house burnt down before. Tomorrow we can ask some neighbors." He pointed out and took one last drag of his cigarette at which Sam groaned.

"What was the point in drinking the water if you're only going to smoke and cough again?" He complained.

"Chill Sammy, it's out now and I'm not coughing." Dean rolled his eyes and stabbed the butt out in the ashtray. "So I think now you should show me where Jess lives and I'll find me a nice place to wait for you somewhere in the neighborhood."

Sam rolled his eyes. "Dean. I'm perfectly capable of handling the situation."

Teasingly, Dean walked over and patted his brother's back. "I know you are, Sammy. I'm just there for backup. Come on, just humor me." Dean's eyebrow twitched. "And when you do leave for the date take Dad's truck so you won't have to smell like smoke when you get out of it and I'll ride my baby this time. What do you say?"

Sam shook Dean's hand off and muttered something about over-protective big brothers. Smiling, Dean grabbed the keys to the Impala. "You coming, little bro? Let's go sightseeing."

* * *

Hours later, Sam pulled in front of Jess's house and took a deep breath. His hands were shaking so badly that he swore he was going to slip when he tried getting out of the car. That would be just perfect and such a great way to show Jess's parents that he's was not useless.

Sighing, he shook his head and turned to grab his wheelchair from the passenger seat only to see Jess standing right by the window grinning. She laughed at the look on Sam's face and opened the passenger door.

"Scared ya, didn't I?" She smirked.

"Just a little." Sam was actually surprised he was able to get words out because right now he was so distracted by how Jess looked. Her wavy blonde hair was done up in a pony tail with a few strands hanging in front of her eyes. She was wearing a form-fitting white summer dress with colorful flowers on it that accented her body perfectly. Not to mention the way her blue eyes stood out. She was stunning.

"I would think a guy that hunts ghosts and monsters wouldn't be scared of a little girl like me." She teased, either oblivious to Sam's staring or unfazed by it. Sam quickly shook his head and tried to focus again.

"Yeah, well I am kinda nervous. Give me some credit." He laughed nervously.

"Fine, then I'll help you out." Jess told him and grabbed his wheelchair from the seat in front of her. Closing the door, she walked over to the other side. Sam opened the door and watched with fascination at how easily Jess set up his wheelchair for him. It was like she had done it a thousand times already. "Tah dah!" She smiled when she was done and looked up at Sam.

Sam gave her a shaky smile back and that was when Jess's expression changed to sympathy immediately. Sam was confused at first because not once had Jess ever looked at him like she felt sorry for him. Why was she doing so now?

Jess was right next to him in a second, still with that same look on her face. She grabbed one of his hands in both of hers and held on tight.

"Oh Sam." She sighed gently, her voice gentle. "You're shaking."

Then Sam understood. Jess wasn't feeling sorry for him because of his disability but because of his fears and worries. He hadn't even noticed how badly his hands had been shaking.

"It'll be fine Sam." Jess continued. "My parents will love you; they have no reason not to." She ran a hand through his hair with such tenderness it made Sam's heart melt.

Sam found he was nearly at loss for words, so he said the only thing he could. "Thanks."

Jess smiled and quickly pecked him on the lips. "It's my pleasure. Now we better hurry up before the food gets cold!"

* * *

Sam had always thought first impressions were important when meeting new people. He figured if you made a fool of yourself or said the wrong thing; it could surely turn people away from you. That was why he had been so surprised way back in high school when Dean had decided to be his friends. Falling out of his wheelchair and getting picked on was never a great way to start a relationship.

But now luckily Sam didn't have to worry about those two things with Jess's parents. Or at least he hoped he wouldn't somehow fall right in front of them. What Sam was worried about with them was saying the right thing. He didn't know how to act around parents other than his father and well...John was different than most parents. Most parents didn't fight demons and traveled around the country with his sons.

Jess was walking right beside Sam as they entered her house and Sam was grateful for that, it made him relax just a bit. However once they entered the dining room Sam's nerves shot right back up to where they were before.

Both parents were standing by the table talking and turned around once the young couple entered the room. The smile Jess's mother sent Sam's way seemed pure and genuine. Her father was smiling as well but it seemed more reserved and tentative. Sam could also say that her father looked a little bit pleasantly shocked as well. But Sam didn't have a clue as to why.

Jess's mother made the first move and walked right up to Sam and held out a hand. "Welcome to our home Sam. I'm so glad you decided to join us for dinner. It's very nice to meet you." She said as Sam shook her hand. She had blonde hair like Jess but with a little bit of grey in it. Honestly, she looked very good for a mother. "I'm Jennifer Moore, Jess's mother."

"Hi Mrs. Moore." "Sam said as politely as he could, feeling the tension in his guts fade away just a bit at the warm welcome. "Thank you for having me over."

Jess's father walked over next and also extended a hand. "Hello Sam, I'm Dave, Jess's father. I hope you'll enjoy your visit."

Sam smiled. "I'm sure I will Mr. Moore. Thank you."

Jennifer clapped her hands suddenly. "Alright everyone, let's eat! I made my special macaroni Sam just for you."

"That sounds good, thank you." Sam told her and when the parents turned around he was nudged by Jess.

"What was that all about?" She whispered and she bent down next to his ear. "Mr. Gentleman being all proper with all the 'thank you's'."

Sam just smiled. "I'm just being friendly."

"Yeah well you need to loosen up a bit." She whispered back and rubbed Sam's shoulders affectionately. Sam noticed Dave tense up slightly at that as he caught the motion out of the corner of his eye. "Relax." Jess ordered.

The dinner table had a space open for Sam to fit his chair in and that made him feel a little better. Jennifer came up to him at the table and smiled as Jess took a seat next to him.

"What can I get you to drink Sam?" She asked him.

"Just water is fine." He answered and saw Jess roll her eyes.

"Nonsense!" Jennifer exclaimed and gave Sam a friendly smack on the shoulder. "We have all sorts of things to drink here. Coke, Pepsi, lemonade, root beer, wine, beer...well that is if you are old enough to drink young man. You look like you could still be a teenager with that face of yours."

Sam blushed madly at that comment. "Nah, I just turned twenty-two last month. But really I don't feel like having a drink tonight. I really do just feel like a glass of water."

Jennifer pouted. "Oh alright. Well you can start digging in while I go and get our drinks."

Dave went into the kitchen to help his wife and that's when Jess saw the guns. Sam leaned forward to grab some food and his shirt rode up a little, revealing the two guns he had stuffed in his pant's pocket.

Jess's mouth dropped wide open and it looked like she was about to scream before she remembered who it was that had the guns. Sam wouldn't hurt anyone...but then why the hell did he have GUNS with him?!

"Sam, you have a reason for those, right?" She asked, her voice bordering on hysteria.

Sam's whole face turned bright red and he quickly pulled his shirt over the weapons. "They're not loaded with bullets, only rock-salt. Rock-salt dissipates spirits and so does iron. I have an iron bar with me too."

"It kills the ghosts? So that's all you have to do?" She asked.

"No it just makes them...go away for a little while. But it also makes them mad. A lot more goes into actually getting rid of the ghost."

Jess opened her mouth to ask another question but was cut off when her parents re-entered the dining room. They put the drinks on the table and then sat down as well.

"So Sam...are you from around here?" Jennifer asked with interest. She smiled at him genuinely, chuckling inside when Sam's head snapped up. The kid was so tense, it must be awful for him to sit here under their scrutinizing looks and answering their questions. Fleetingly, she remembered when Dave met her parents for the first time and that made her suppress a chuckle. Sam certainly did way better. The boy was cute and yet so nice. No surprise, Jess fell for him. Heck, she would fall for him if she was about 25 years younger.

Still smiling, all was it for her own thoughts, she listened to Sam's answer.

"Oh no me and my family travel around the country a lot. We never stay in one place for too long."

"Oh really? It must be nice to travel with your family." Jennifer told him.

"Yeah it is. But it's just my dad and my older brother in my family, so it's not like there's a whole group of us." Sam was starting to feel really relaxed talking about his family, that was one thing he always loved to talk about. But he was afraid that they might ask him about his profession.

"You think we would get the chance to meet your family?" Dave suddenly asked and when Sam turned to face him...he really didn't like the look Dave was giving him. It was as if he wanted to meet Sam's family so he could get a better judgment of Sam.

"Sure." He answered anyway. "My dad is out of town helping out a friend but Dean, my brother, is with me and would love to meet you guys."

Jess seemed to realize what her father was doing as well because she spoke up. "I've already met Dean three times and he's a really great guy. I bet Sam's father is just the same." She told him rather defensively.

Mr. Moore looked rather taken aback. "I never assumed they wouldn't be. I just said I would like to meet them."

Tension hung in the air for the next few seconds before Jennifer decided to speak up.

"Macaroni anyone?" She asked, while holding out the large bowl of food

Sam couldn't help but laugh.

* * *

To say that Dave had been shocked when he saw his daughter's date up close would have been an understatement. He had seen Sam from a distance but only his face. Dave had been expecting to see a rather weak boy, scrawny, maybe even sick looking because he was in a wheelchair. His perceptions could not have been more wrong. From up close Sam was an even better looking guy. He was as healthy looking as any human could possibly be and the kid was _strong._ His arm muscles were out of this world for a twenty-two year old kid. You'd have to workout non-stop of years to get arms that looked like that. Or have to rely on them all the time to get into and out of a wheelchair. Of course the kid did have to carry his weight around with his arms all of the time.

Not only was Sam good looking but he was so fricken' polite as well. Dave secretly had to admit he liked the kid. And this fact didn't sit well with him, which made him angry. Why shouldn't he like the boy? Why shouldn't his daughter date him? He always told her not to judge people and now he sat here at the table doing just that. He was trying to find reasons why Jess shouldn't be with Sam and was disappointed that he couldn't find any. That was ridiculous. It was their second date, for Heaven's sake. With the boys traveling around with their father there was a good chance they'd never even meet again. So why would he worry?

Dave bit his lip. He could see how happy Jess was and how her face lit up every time she looked at Sam. He knew his daughter and he knew that she would try to stay in contact with Sam no matter in which forsaken corner of the country he would stay. It made him sigh. He had never pictured his daughter being together with a disabled guy. It wasn't that he judged Sam because of his disability but it was a fact that he was, well, disabled.

There were so many things he would need help with, Jess's help. She wasn't seeing it right now but how long would she endure helping him on a daily basis, always looking down on him, although the guy seemed to be really tall, or bear her friend's comments which were sure to come? Living with a disabled man required a strong woman and Dave wasn't sure if Jess was this strong, although she surely was stubborn enough to cope with every obstacle life would want to put in her way. Dave chuckled to himself at his train of thoughts. It was stupid to think about things like that on the kids' second date. Jess was on cloud nine right now and who was he to ruin this feeling? He should be happy for her but he couldn't help that the realistic part of his mind was still worried and tried to find a reason why Jess shouldn't be with this boy.

The wind picked up from the open window and Dave caught the smell of cigarette smoke. Before he could even think he blurted out at Sam.

"Sam, do you smoke?!"

It was a rude question and Dave bit his lip when he saw Sam's face turn bright red with embarrassment. He regretted that he let the question slip like that but he had to know. If he had any prejudices at all then it was against smokers. He had never been able to stand smoke and Sam being a smoker would be even worse than him not being able to walk.

"No, I don't smoke sir. But my brother does...that might be why you smell cigarettes."

"So I guess you hang around your brother a lot?"

"Dad!" Jess shouted out, her glare was anything but friendly.

Sam squirmed in his wheelchair but the answer he gave was proud. "Yes, I hang out with him everyday actually. He's my best friend."

Great, now Sam was probably embarrassed, Jess disgusted and Jennifer looked like he was about to explode at him.

"Just because my brother smokes doesn't mean he's a bad person to be around." Sam spoke up and Dave was surprised to see how determined and protective this polite kid could be about his brother. It actually made him respect Sam for that. "He's quite the opposite sir..

"Right, I'm sorry I asked Sam. I never meant...I'm..." Oh just forget it! "I'm just trying to find out more about you because you are dating my daughter. I'm kind of protective of her."

Sam actually smiled at that even though Dave's wife and daughter were still fuming. "Oh, that's alright. I completely understand. My brother is the same exact way towards me. Don't worry about it."

Jennifer glared at Dave then. "Yes honey, quit _worrying._"

"Well I'm really sorry for making you uncomfortable Sam." Dave was really starting to feel towards this kid now. "Why don't you ask us some questions now? Hit me up with anything...even the most embarrassing question you can think of and I will honestly answer you."

Sam seemed to think for a moment. "I think I'll pass on the embarrassing stuff. I'll just ask....well...how long have you guys lived in this house? It's nice."

"Just this year actually." Dave answered as they continued eating. "This is our summer home. We lived in a smaller one a little further into town before. It was just rebuilt a few years ago actually."

Sam perked up at this news and Dave thought that was oddly strange. "Yeah. I heard it was burnt down. Do you know what happened?"

Dave shrugged. "No, I don't. It happened in the fall, we weren't here when it happened."

"Do you know anyone that would know about it? Any neighbors that were still around when it took place?" Sam asked in an almost professional style. Something was definitely up with this boy and Dave didn't like it.

"Why do you want to know that? Wouldn't it be kind of personal?" Dave questioned him.

Sam tried to think of a logical explanation but he really couldn't come up with any. Plus, these people were Jess's parents and in a haunted house, they deserved to know the truth. They were bound to find out anyway.

"It's because of the ghost Jess has been seeing around here."

As soon as Sam said those words he got three different reactions from each member of the family. Dave looked like he was about to explode and Jen sighed. Jess was just shocked.

"Look honey." Jennifer said almost sadly. "We know you like Jess a lot but supporting her in these weird imaginations is not the right way to help her."

Before Sam could say anything, Dave, with his face still red butted in. "There are no such things as ghosts, young man, and you better know that."

Sam knew better than to back down, he met both their faces with a firm gaze. "Ghosts exist, I've encountered more than one in my life already and from what Jess told me about last night it's not just a ghost in this house but a vengeful spirit and those things can get quite nasty. You're all in great danger."

Dave finally exploded. "I will not tolerate talk like this in my house! If you go ahead with this crap I'll politely ask you to leave!" He growled and slammed his fist on the dinning room table, dishes clattering. Jen put a hand on her husbands shoulder to calm him.

"Please calm down, Dave. He just wants to support our daughter." She tried to hush him.

"No, I don't, I'm not saying all this because of that." Sam told them, trying to stay calm. "You have a severe problem here and you all can get hurt if you don't let me deal with it."

"You?" Dave stared at him with unbelief and Sam bet the wheelchair even made his story less believable. "Who the hell do you think you are? You come into my house and talk nonsense about ghosts and…"

Sam felt the air change and knew exactly what had happened just then. But before he had the chance to warn the family that a ghost had just entered the room, a loud and eerie whisper echoed throughout the walls.

"Get out. Get out of my house. All of you."

It was quiet for two seconds before...

"Who the hell was that?!" Dave blurted out. "If this is some kind of joke young man I'll...."

"Wait! Dad! You heard it too this time?! So I'm not insane!" Jess gasped. "That's the voice I've been hearing!"

"Be quiet." Sam ordered them, knowing more talk would just anger the ghost even more. Sam shoved himself away from the table, looking around to make out any signs of the spirit. He felt the hairs on his neck stand on end and tension was building inside him until he was ready to snap. There was still some unintelligible whisper hanging in the air, but he couldn't make out the source. What if the spirit was invincible? Suddenly, one of the large ceramic bowls from the sideboard came hurling towards them, aiming directly at Jennifer.

Sam thought fast and got right in front of her, holding his arm up to shield her from the flying object. It smacked right into Sam's arm with a loud thud and then dropped to the floor. That was going to leave a bruise in the morning.

Jen's gaze went from the wall to Sam, her mouth hanging open. Sam didn't know if it was because of the object flying at her or because Sam had just saved her.

"You need to get out. _Now."_

Sam couldn't argue his point however as the wind changed again and suddenly the ghost was standing in the dinning room doorway.

The ghost was a young brunette woman...she couldn't be much older than Jess. She was wearing jeans and a purple t-shirt that looked rather old…maybe from the '60's. But she had the most distressed look on her face. One that showed she had been cheated and lied to, and most likely very hurt.

"You won't get him," she hissed to Jess. "He's mine." It turned to Jen then and pointed at her. "And you won't have him either."

Knowing that real trouble was about to come, Sam pulled out one of the guns he brought. He ignored the family's cries as he shot rock-salt at the ghost. It screeched in pain and vanished, but Sam knew it was only temporary.

All of this commotion seemed too much for Jen to handle as she screamed and ran past them all and up the stairs to the second floor, not even looking back once.

"MOM!" Jess screamed as she retreated. "Don't go up there! We have to get out!"

However her mother was probably either in severe shock or having a panic attack because she didn't register her daughters voice as she disappeared over the stairs. Jess only hesitated for a second as she took off sprinting after her mom.

Sam grasped her arm to hold her back. "No, Jess."

Jess shook her head, trying to get free. "I have to get her, Sam. She's my mother. Let go of me." She yanked at Sam's arm until he couldn't hold her back any longer. With long strides Jess ran up the stairs.

Dave tried to go up after her, but Sam just wheeled in front of him, blocking his way effectively.

"You can't go up there. You have to get out of the house." He told him strongly but Dave just shook his head.

"I'm not leaving my wife and daughter with this...thing in the house!" He bellowed, trying to get around Sam, but Sam managed to take a hold of Dave's arm.

"You could get yourself killed trying. I know how to handle ghosts, let me take care of it."

Dave just stared at him. "You can't even get up the stairs!" He protested but started backing off.

"I can handle it, trust me I know how." Sam said and looked right up into his eyes, trying to convey trust. It worked because Dave nodded and ran out the door.

Sam didn't waste any time as he sprang into action. Wheeling over to the stairs he got out of his wheelchair quickly and positioned himself so his back was facing the stairs. Using his arms he grabbed the bottom step and pulled himself up so he was sitting on it. Just that task took longer than ten seconds.

He grunted as he lifted himself up onto the next stair and he heard Jess and her mother screaming from above him. He swore to himself as he slowly lifted himself up yet another step, wishing he could simply sprint up the stairs like everyone else. If something were to happen to Jess or her mother while he was crawling up the steps in snail-pace he would never forgive himself.

Sam was nearly three fourths of the way up the stairs when he heard the ghost bellowing at the two women saying something like "He's mine, you can't have him!" And then he heard the sound of something crashing against the wall followed by Jess's scream.

Sam's heart missed a beat before it started pounding painfully against his ribs. Even though his forehead was beading with sweat not to mention his sunburn from yesterday was making his arms sting, he pushed himself even harder. By doing so his left leg got tangled in his right, causing him to almost slip. Aggravated, Sam had to untwist his legs before continuing up the incline. When he finally reached the top his arms were quivering and his head was spinning.

Another scream alerted Sam to what he had to do and he twisted himself over so he was on his stomach and army crawled as fast as he could to where the noise was coming from. He didn't care that he was barely able to catch his breath, his mind focused only on the task on getting to Jess. He made it to the second door in the hallway and saw Jess and Jennifer huddled together in the far left corner with the ghost hovering above them, yelling nasty insults. Sam flipped onto his side easily and pulled out the gun he had brought with him. The ghost turned to face him but Sam was faster as he shot the ghost quickly and it vanished into thin air. With the gun still in his hand, Sam dragged himself over to the women.

"Sam!" Jess called out, just now noticing him. She ran over to him and helped him sit up with shaking hands. She looked like she was about to cry and Sam couldn't handle that as he pulled her close to him and hugged her. "How long is it going to be gone for?" She asked, her voice shaking as well.

Sam ran a hand over her back. "Not very long. We have to get out of the house." He said and pulled her back to look at her. He then turned to look at Jennifer, still huddled in the corner. "Take my extra gun when you go down there in case it shows up." He ordered and offered the gun to Jess. Jennifer slowly stood up, looking at Sam in bewilderment. "I don't know who you are and why you carry guns in my house. But I trust you. Give this to me. I don't want my daughter to handle guns."

Sam handed her the gun. "It's loaded with rock-salt, Mrs. Moore. It can only harm the spirit but still be careful with it." He released the safety. "Just fire at the ghost when it shows up."

"But what about you Sam?" Jess asked with tears in her eyes. "I'm not going to leave you here."

"Don't worry." Sam smiled. "I'll be right behind you. Now hurry, please."

Jess nodded and grabbed her mother's arm as they exited the bedroom. However, the second they were out the door the computer desk flew threw the air and was headed towards a startled Sam. He never had time to move as the thing hit him and landed right on top of his legs, effectively trapping him.

"SAM!" Jess screamed out, ready to run in but a chair came hurdling her way. She was just able to jump and avoid its path.

"Don't try to come in here!" Sam yelled desperately. "Just call Dean! Do you have his number?"

"Yes." Jess sobbed and pulled out her phone. Dean had given her both of their cell phone numbers the day they met.

"Don't call now! Get outside first! Dean will take care of it and get me out! Go NOW!" Sam's voice was bellowing and Jess knew that if she didn't leave right now, she might not make it out alive.

She grabbed her mother's hand and dragged her out of the bedroom. The second they left the room the door fell shut with a hard bang. Jess hesitated. Although sheer panic threatened to overwhelm her she didn't want to leave Sam trapped in there with a spirit. God knew what it could do to him, unable to move as he was now. She turned around and tried to open the door, but it was locked. "Sam", she screamed desperately. Crying, she pounded against the damned door with her fists.

"Get out!" she heard Sam yell from inside, his voice accompanied by a nasty screech that made Jess's blood freeze. "Sam," she wailed, now sobbing uncontrollably.

Suddenly, she felt her mother grip her arm. "Come on, darling, you can't do anything here. We have to get out. Who's that he asked you to call?"

"Dean!" Jess tried to pull herself together and already running down the stairs she frantically searched her cell phone for Dean's number.

* * *

Dean was sitting at the bar chatting with a group of girls. He found it a bit harder to talk to them since he had only drunk one beer. Usually he would have had a few more drinks but the chance that Sam might need help caused him not to drink more than a single beer. If Sam did need him, he couldn't go into a hunt drunk. So instead of drinking what did he do? He smoked; he smoked a hell of a lot, plus he was nervous.

Looking at the tip of his newest cigarette, Dean noticed he had nearly gone over two packs today....or did he actually have more than two? He couldn't even count. All he knew for sure was that he smoked a lot more than he usually did today. He just had so much free time. He smoked in the morning, he smoked in the afternoon, he went outside for a while when Jess had come over, and now....he was smoking cigarette after cigarette without even thinking about it.

Dean's cell phone rang in his pocket and he felt his heartbeat speed up automatically. Not even excusing himself from the girls, Den pushed himself away from the group and took out his cell. He was expecting Sam but what he got was a number he didn't recognize. He picked it up anyway.

"Hello?" He asked

"Dean?" It was Jess's voice. That was right...Dean did give her his number in case Sam wouldn't answer his cell. But Dean had never gotten her number. "Dean...thank God! I...Sam...."

Dean didn't waste anytime responding, as he already was running out the door. "What happened to him?" Dean didn't care what it might be; all he knew was that his little brother was in trouble. Big trouble, from the sound of Jess's devastated voice, and Dean wasn't going to let anything happen to him. He threw his cigarette on the ground without even putting it out. He was already in the Impala before Jess spoke back.

"He...The ghost...it has him trapped in our house! Oh god...he's...a desk fell on him, he can't move! Dean please you have to help him!" She sobbed into the receiver.

"I'm already halfway there." Gunning up the engine, Dean threw his cell on the passenger seat, not even bothering to end the call. He slammed his foot on the gas petal; his only thought was making sure Sam was safe again.

He got there in less than two minutes but he couldn't help but think he might be too late. He screeched the Impala to a halt and jumped out. Immediately he headed for the trunk and grabbed what he needed from there and slammed it closed.

Dean started running towards the house when he heard Jess yell.

From the corner of his eye he saw a man and a disheveled woman staring at him incredulously. Not bothering to give them a second glance, he ran towards the house when he heard Jess yell.

"The doors and windows are all locked! They closed when me and my mom got out of the house!"

Well, that would just mean Dean would have to pay for their window then. Instead of even attempting to open anything he ran over and slammed the iron rod he brought into the window, shattering it all over the lawn.

* * *

Sam was still desperately trying to shove the heavy desk from his legs. Not only his legs, but also his left arm was trapped beneath it, and with his right arm only it was a futile task. But he kept trying.

"You're mine," he heard a whisper behind him. Craning his neck, he could see the woman standing just a few feet away, looking at him with a longing expression on her face. "You'll never leave me again."

Frantically, Sam searched for his gun, but it was lying beside the bed, well out of his reach. But there still was the small iron bar he had in his back pocket. If he only could get it out. But lying on the very same pocket without even being able to lift his upper body didn't help the case.

Menacingly, the woman came nearer. Fearfully, Sam stared up at her. "Get the hell away from me." He hissed.

"You still love me," she told him sadly. "Don't deny it."

Sam tried to get away when she crouched down beside him and grabbed his hair. Her face lowered down on his when he finally managed to grab the iron bar. It was as small as a chocolate bar, but it did the trick when Sam smashed it forcefully into her face. With a scream she vanished.

Sam smacked the desk with a force that shot a fierce pain up his arm and into his shoulder. "Now would be a good time to show up, Dean." He only hoped that Jess had been able to make it outside.

Sam closed his eyes just for a split second when he felt the air grow cold again. That was fast, he thought grimly, gripping the bar even harder. But he couldn't defend himself when his arm was grabbed from behind and his hand was smashed painfully into the desk. Instantly, Sam lost the grip on the bar that flew over the desk and clattered into the nightstand.

"Why do you try to fight me?" the spirit asked, anger spreading on her face. Suddenly the computer desk flew to one side, setting Sam free. He tried to crawl away but his hand was still tingling from the former impact with the desk. It wouldn't have helped anyway, he wasn't able to get up and without weapons he was as helpless as before.

Looming over him, the woman hissed "Get up!"

Sam shook his head. "I can't. I can't walk."

"That's not true. You could always walk." The spirit crouched down, grabbed his arms and yanked him up. For a moment Sam was standing, being held upright by the force of a ghost and it scared the shit out of him.

"Kiss me," she ordered and her lips approached his mouth. Sam struggled against her grip with all his might and eventually he felt himself slip out of her hands. He braced himself for the impact when he hit the floor, using the momentum to roll to his side to bring himself into reach of his gun. But the woman blocked his way, grabbing him and flung him into the bedroom wall. He managed to duck his head but his back hit the wall with a sickening thud and he screamed out in pain when he fell to the floor once more. The ghost against crouched down beside him. "Why won't you kiss me?"

"I'm not who you think I am!" Sam whispered, trying to breathe through the pain in his back, only to get smacked in the face so hard that it drew blood.

"I loved you!" She screeched. "I loved you, and you betrayed me!" The next thing Sam knew a heavy object smacked him right on the side of his head and he was lying on the ground with his head spinning. He was hit so hard that he bet he was bleeding. But it was funny; he was so dizzy he almost thought he could hear his brother calling out to him. But when he heard the gunshot and felt himself being moved he knew he wasn't imagining Dean anymore.

* * *

Dean didn't think he could be anymore pissed at a spirit than he was right now. He had knocked down the door just in time to see Sam get hit in the head with a huge dictionary. Not only that, but Sam looked like he had taken a hell of a beating. He wished more than anything that the rock salt he had shot the ghost with would have killed it.

"Sammy?" He bent down next to his bruised and beaten brother. "Can you hear me?"

Sam moaned. "Dean?" He asked, his eyes were having trouble focusing and Dean could tell he was on the border line of a concussion.

"Yeah, it's me buddy. Don't worry, I'm gonna get you outta here." He assured his younger brother and then gently flipped him over. Sam groaned but Dean couldn't waste any time as he picked Sam up with one arm under his neck and the other under his long legs.

It wasn't easy to pick up his gigantic little brother though, and Dean felt himself getting more out of breath than he already was.

"Alright, let's get the heck out of this house huh little brother?" Dean continued to talk to Sam mostly for his own benefit.

"M okay Dean..." Sam mumbled, but he did sound okay and it was enough for Dean.

Dean got out of the door when the ghost returned; throwing anything she could at the two brothers. And Dean couldn't shoot her because he was carrying Sam.

He dodged one of the books she threw at him as he was running down the stairs when his breathing got even worse. He could feel a coughing fit coming on tried clearing his throat, which unfortunately made it even worse. Desperately he tried to suppress the coughing fit he felt coming but clearing his throat made it even worse.

Dean almost made it into the kitchen when the coughing started. Unable to control himself, he fell to his knees, still trying to not let Sam fall. Sam rolled out of his brother's arms, worriedly looking at Dean who had gotten down on the floor, coughing his brains out.

"Dean? Dean! You okay?" Sam sat up and dragged himself over to Dean, grimacing when his bruised body complained about the strain. Worriedly, he sat up and hugged his brother while gently patting his back. Dean was grasping at his chest like he could stop the coughing just like that but his eyes still continued to water. Plates and cutlery from the table came flying towards them and Sam did his best to shield Dean from the objects, moaning when a plate still loaded with macaroni crashed into his shoulder.

The older brother continued to cough violently. His voice already sounded raspy and his whole body was shaking. He had trouble to catch his breath between the coughing fits. Sam let go of his brother. "I'll fetch you a glass of water," he told him. "Just stay low." He crawled over to his wheelchair that still stood at the bottom of the stairs but the moment he reached out for it the chair toppled over and skidded across the room right through the open door into the kitchen. Sam didn't know whether to sigh or to yell out loud in frustration. Angrily he looked at his wheelchair. It didn't matter if it lay on the kitchen floor or on the moon, it was well out of his reach. His eyes widened, however, when he looked up and his gaze fell on the knife block at the sideboard. It had some dangerous looking knives in it and one of them was just now sliding out of the block.

Sam abandoned the idea of going to retrieve his wheelchair and hurried to get back to his brother. "Dean!" he yelled. "We have to get out of here. At once! Ahhhhh!"

Dean heard his brother's urgent tone and then an unexpected scream. The sound of his brother's fear was able to knock Dean out of his coughing fit just enough so that he saw the knife sticking out of Sam's left thigh. Lying on the floor, Sam was staring at it, without any knowledge of how bad that should hurt.

"God...Sam..." Dean choked out and shakily stood up.

Tears of pain were blurring his vision when he grabbed Sam under the armpits and dragged him over to the window. His gaze was magically drawn to the knife sticking out of Sam's thigh, but he couldn't take care of it right now. Sam wasn't feeling it, but there was already a lot of blood pooling around the wound and Dean knew he would have to stitch it up as soon as possible. He ducked his head when a vase came flying right at him, missing his hairline just for an inch. Dean shielded Sam with his body as it smashed into the wall full force and tiny pieces of glass started to rain down on them. He took his gun out of his pocket and handed it to Sam.

"I know this damned thing is invisible at the moment, but maybe you can try and find it."

Leaving Sam alone for the moment, Dean turned to the window and cleared as much of the glass he could and then took off the light jacket he had been wearing. He bunched it up and laid in on the windowsill just in case there were leftover pieces. Then he turned to his brother, just when a gunshot rang through the room. Dean caught the sight of a heavy pan that fell to the ground with a thud.

"Gotcha!" Sam said with grim satisfaction.

"Come on, time to leave." Dean told him in a very hoarse voice that sounded nothing like his own. "The doors are closed, the window is our exit."

Sam glanced worriedly at the window. "Okay, let's try then." He laid his arms around Dean's neck and allowed his brother to pull him up until he was standing against the broken window. When he found a hold at the windowsill he heaved himself up. Dean put his hands at the back of Sam's thighs and hoisted his brother's legs up until he was sitting on the sill. "Brace yourself," he told him before he carefully lifted his legs to the other side.

"Sam!" Dean heard Jess's voice and soon saw her on the other side of the broken window. "Here, I'll help." She helped grab Sam's legs and let out a strangled yell when she saw the knife.

"It's okay Jess; I can't feel it at all." Sam told her and with Sam helping a bit they were able to get him down on the ground just outside of the window.

Just as Dean was going to climb out Sam spoke up. "Dean, what about my wheelchair?". He asked, suddenly remembering that he was quite helpless without his chair.

Dean turned around but only made it to the dining table before objects started flying at him. He got clipped by another knife on his forearm before he decided that it was too risky and ran back.

"It'll have to wait Sammy, that spirit is nasty." Dean told him as he climbed out of the window with a grunt.

"You're bleeding." Sam pointed out with worry at Dean's arm.

"And you have a knife sticking out of your leg. We gotta get you patched up first or you bleed to death just right here." He said and tried to pick up Sam again, however his coughing fit had made him weak and he just couldn't do it.

Without a word, Jess grabbed Sam as well and between the two of them they managed to carry him over to the Impala. Dean didn't want to waste any time getting the knife out of Sam's leg and he grabbed the first aid kit from the car and bent down next to Sam. More tears came to his eyes as he was cutting Sam's jeans to access the wound. His brother had been hurt because of his stupidity to keep on smoking. He had his brother's blood on his hands. He had failed Sam again. Oh God, if the ghost had aimed properly, the knife could have ended up in Sam's heart instead of his thigh.

Dean tried to pull himself together. His hands were shaking and he needed a cigarette more than ever to steady his vibrating nerves. But he didn't have time for this right now. He had to clean Sam's wound. Sam couldn't feel it but just because of his paralysis there was a great risk that infection would set in. Carefully, he grabbed the handle of the knife and pulled it out of Sam's thigh. The wound looked really nasty.

Dean forced himself to grin at Sam. "You're doing great, gimp. You didn't even scream."

Sam actually chuckled. "Yeah right, jerk, that's because I'm a hero. Heroes just don't do pain."

Sam's humor helped a lot more to calm Dean down than any cigarette would have been able to. The older brother visibly relaxed, though his hands still were shaking a bit.

Just when he opened the small bottle with the disinfectant he felt Jess's hand on his arm.

"Let me help you," the girl offered.

Dean looked up, surprised to see himself surrounded by Jess's parents. He offered them a half-hearted smile. It wasn't the first time he encountered the look they had on their faces. It was plain horror together with incredulousness and fear. It was the look people had when they learned that ghosts were real.

"Can we do anything to help?" Jess's mother asked in a shivering voice.

"No, thank you," Dean told her politely and noticing that his hands still were shaking he handed the bottle with the disinfectant over to Jessica. She hesitated, looking up at Sam with a teary face. "I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't." Sam pulled her into a hug, kissing her tears away. "That's the good thing about being paralyzed. I don't feel the pain."

Dean grimaced when he started the task to stitch Sam up. He knew that Sam didn't feel it and he was grateful for that but he himself felt every stitch like it pierced his own skin.

When he bandaged the leg, Sam grabbed his arm and made him look into his eyes. "It's not your fault, you know," he said gently, knowing perfectly well that his brother was beating himself up right now.

"Yeah, the hell it wasn't." Dean said and looked up, noticing the blood on Sam's head. "You hurt anywhere else?"

"My back is sore, my head hurts and my lip is split but it's nothing you can't fix. I'm okay Dean, really." Sam said, noticing how upset his brother seemed.

"No." Dean shook his head. "It's not okay. You could've gotten killed back in there." He seethed and grabbed his pack of cigarette and lit one with a sigh. Jess stood up and pulled her parents away a little bit to give the brother's some space and also to prevent her father from commenting on Dean's smoking. It was the last thing they needed right now.

"But I'm okay Dean." Sam assured his brother, reaching out to put a hand on his shoulder, but Dean pulled away.

"Yeah, but it could have been so much worse." Dean said as he blew out a ring of smoke, looking at it with a grim expression on his face. "Because I hadn't quit smoking you got hurt. You never would have gotten that knife in you if I would've quit."

"It's not that big of a deal. I can't feel it and you got me out." Sam continued.

"It is a big deal! It's your health and safety!" Dean took a long drag and squinted up at the sky.

"Well I should have been more careful then." Sam said.

"No, I'm your big brother. It was my job to go in there and save you if you needed help." Dean said as he took another drag. "I let you down once Sammy and I almost did that again. I won't let that happen, _I won't."_

_"_Dean..." Sam started but the older brother just stood up. He took another drag of his cigarette, held it in his lungs for a while, before slowly blowing it out. Then he threw the stub on the ground.

"That was the last cigarette I'll ever smoke." He growled and threw his half-empty pack on the ground and smashed it with his boot angrily, grinding it into the dirt. "I never want to see those damn things again."


	9. Chapter 9

_So I finally finished this chapter! They just seem to get longer and longer. lol Sorry for the wait, I'm pretty busy in college but I will always continue to update :) I hope you'll enjoy this chapter. My beta Gabi helped me out with many things in it and as always thought of great ideas! The story wouldn't be nearly as good without her and I thank her so much! I'm now planning on updating my other story that I have neglected before I start writing the next chapter of this. Enjoy and thank you for reading!_

* * *

Sam was speechless as he watched his brother finally get rid of his ten year habit. He truly was at loss of what to say...there were tons of things he actually could say, _congrats, about time, I'm proud of you, you sure about this Dean? _But Sam thought the best thing he could do was stay silent. Dean decided on this because Sam had gotten hurt, and with his little brother's safety on the line there was no way Dean was going to pick up the habit again.

"What in heaven's sake was that?" Sam heard Jennifer quietly ask and when he turned to face her she looked deathly pale. Sam would have used the expression 'she looked like she had just seen a ghost' if this wasn't so serious. "Is it...is it safe to go back in the house now?

"I wouldn't do that." Dean told her. "That spirit was angry as hell and I have no doubt it's still restless."

Dave looked shocked. "But all of our stuff is in there! We can't let this thing control our lives and take over our home!"

"We're going to make sure it doesn't." Dean replied. "Just stay out of the house while we work on this case. Me and Sam will head over here tomorrow and also try to find as much information on this house. We have to try to find out who this spirit was too."

"What does it matter who the spirit is? Why can't we just get rid of it?" Dave shook his head. "How long are we going to be away from our home, where will we go?"

"You can stay at the motel we're staying at." Sam answered for him to spare Dean all the questions. "It won't take too long, a couple days tops. It's very important to find out who the spirit is because then we can find out how she died and why she is still haunting the house, that way we know what to look out for and where she might be buried. Maybe she was betrayed or something. It seems like she is connected to this house and we have to find out why."

Dave ran a hand through his hair and shook his head again. "You're sounding like you deal with ghosts on a daily basis."

Leaning against the Impala, Sam looked up at him. "As a matter of fact, we do."

Dave looked at the boys with disbelief written all over his face. "I just don't get it. Ghosts? How can such things exist?"

"You would be surprised to hear about all the things that go bump in the night." Sam smiled. "It's not only ghosts."

Dave turned to his still softly sobbing wife and hugged her. "You said you deal with those things on a daily basis?" he asked over his shoulder. "How can you stay sane?"

Dean smirked then. "We never said we were. But yeah, just meet us by the Eastside motel, that's where we're staying at."

Dave nodded and then looked over at Jess who was back to sitting beside Sam. "Come on honey."

Jess looked over at her father and then back at Sam who was holding his left wrist in a grimace. "I think Sam and Dean might need some help." She told her parents. "Do you guys need me to drive one of your vehicles?"

"No it's okay, I can drive one." Sam said which caused Dean to huff.

"You have a knife wound in your thigh, gimp." Dean pointed out which caused Sam to roll his eyes.

"And you know I don't use my legs to drive, jerk."

Dean let out a sigh, knelt down next to his brother and gently grabbed his wrist. Sam let out a hiss of pain.

"Now that's a badly bruised wrist, might even be sprained. I can't have you driving with that." He pointed out and looked back at Jess. "Do you think you could drive the truck back to the motel and me and Sammy will go in the Impala?"

Jess smiled. "It's not a problem."

"Good." With his left hand Sam awkwardly pulled the keys out of his pocket and handed them to Jess. Then he looked up at Dean, clearly suppressing a sigh.

Dean crouched down. "You know I would do it, but with those knives flying around in there it would be suicide just now."

"I know," Sam said and this time he really sighed. He hated being without his wheelchair. He felt awfully embarrassed. Dean would have to carry him into the car in front of the watchful eyes of Jess's parents, showing them clearly how helpless he was.

Dean gave his brother a sympathetic yet encouraging smile. He could almost hear Sam's thoughts. Briefly, he considered the possibility to pull Sam up until he was standing to spare him the additional embarrassment of being carried like a baby. But with the sprained wrist Sam wasn't able to hold on to him with a tight grip and the way he was sitting Dean could tell that his back was hurting as well.

"Sorry, dude," he whispered when he slid his arms behind Sam's back and under his knees and lifted him with a grunt. God, the guy was heavy.

Jess hurried to open the door to the Impala's passenger seat and Dean hoisted Sam inside. In the meantime Sam's face had grown deep red and he bit his lip. Jess leaned inside the car and kissed his cheeks. "It's okay, Sam. It doesn't matter."

When Sam looked up he met Jess's understanding gaze, but it was the playful sparkle in her eyes that made him smile and forget about his misery. He kissed her gently on her lips. "I'll see you at the motel."

Jess nodded, closed the door and went over to the pickup.

Dean got into the driver's side but instead of starting the car he reached over and opened the glove box and pulled out what were about five packs of cigarettes. Sam's eyes grew wide. What the hell was Dean doing?! Why in the world would he make such a big show of quitting and not even five minutes later go back to it?! For a moment Sam was thinking that Dean had just put on a show for Jess's parents only.

Dean noticed Sam's face and burst out laughing. "Dude, I'm not gonna smoke these. I just told you I quit. What were you thinking?"

"Uh no. I just thought you were going to finish smoking those before you quit." Sam quickly lied; he didn't want his brother to think that Sam had so easily doubted him.

"Dude, there's like a hundred cigarettes in all these packs. If I said I'm going to quit why would I smoke all these before? It would just make it harder. Besides, I already told you that I already smoked my last cigarette." Dean shrugged but then grinned a little. "Man Sammy, you should have seen the look on your face when I picked up those packs."

Again, Sam's face grew red with embarrassment. "Hey, what else did I think you were doing with them?"

Dean rolled his eyes. "How about throwing them out doofus? But actually, I'm going to try to sell them to somebody. I'm going to need some money for the Nicorette and patches I'm gonna need." Dean grabbed a plastic grocery bag from the back seat and dumped the cigarettes in it before tossing the bag aside.

Sam knew this quitting thing wasn't going to be a walk in the park, but he did know a way to make it easier for his brother. "Will you use the drugs I told you about?"

Dean pondered the subject the subject for a few seconds. "Oh yeah, I'll try it. What was the name of it again?"

"There were a few different ones. We can look it up when we get back to the motel and see what one would work best for you. I want you to have it before the cravings get bad."

Dean snorted. "Heh, I already have cravings. Just the thought that I'm never gonna have a cigarette again is making me itch. But god, I know it'll get ten times worse."

"How long could you go without having a cigarette? Like how long before you started to crave one?"

Dean huffed and finally started the car. "Geeze, like an hour? It got bad Sammy. Man, I'm pathetic. If it weren't for my smoking you wouldn't have..."

"Dean!" Sam stopped him before he could finish. "I don't want to hear it. Shit like that happens. Stuff happened to you before because I couldn't get to you in time because I can't walk. But the important thing is that I was able to help you out even if you did end up getting hurt. I was able to get to you in time before anything serious happened. The same thing happened with you Dean. You had a little mishap and I got hurt, but you were able to get me out of there and that's what counts." Sam told him with a smirk and crossed his arms, staring back at his stunned brother.

"Sam I..."

"Just shut up and drive jerk."

Dean did just that.

* * *

They were the last ones back of course and from the looks of it, Jess's parents had already gotten a room. Dean pulled up in a parking space right in front of their room. That was one good thing about Sam being paralyzed, they always got the front handicapped parking spaces wherever they went and didn't have to deal with the endless searching for a spot to park.

Dean got out of the car and unlocked the door to their room. He turned to Jess and her parents. "Would you join us for a minute? Please make yourself comfortable while I go get Sam."

"Do you need any help bringing Sam inside?" Jess asked awkwardly, wanting to help but not sure how she should.

Dean just smiled at her. "Nah, I got him. It's only a short ways inside. Thanks though."

Dean picked up Sam the same way he had just minutes before and his brother wasn't looking too happy. Dean didn't blame him, having to be picked up like a baby by your brother in front of his girl and her parents would be pretty embarrassing. Lucky for him though, Jess didn't mind it at all.

Once in the room Dean ever so carefully eased Sam onto the bed, knowing full well that his brother must be sore as hell. He hoped he didn't have to explain too much to Jess's parents because he wanted to get Sam checked out as soon as possible.

"Are you sure you two don't need any help?" Dave asked them, biting his lip when he saw Sam's rapidly swelling wrist. "Shouldn't you bring him to the hospital?"

"It's okay. I'm just going to patch him up." Dean assured them with a small smile. "You guys don't have to worry about anything. Just meet us here tomorrow morning and we'll discuss what we can do to get rid of the spirit. You'll have to tell us all what you know about your house and its former inhabitants."

"I'm really sorry about this whole ordeal Mr. and Mrs. Moore." Sam spoke suddenly, just realizing how this must have affected the poor parents.

"Oh it's not your fault dear!" Jennifer finally found her voice in comforting Sam. "It's not like you brought the ghost to our house, you saved us after all. We owe you our lives."

Sam shook his head, and then winced from some pain Dean was unaware of. "No really, it's fine. This is what my family does. You don't owe us anything."

Jennifer was stubborn. "Yes we do. I'm going to do something for you boys, even if it is little."

"Yes." Dave nodded his agreement. "Thank you boys. Now me and my family are going to let you guys work everything out." He motioned for Jen and Jess to follow, while his wife obliged his daughter did not.

"I want to stay in the room with Sam and Dean tonight." Jess said firmly.

Dave's mouth fell open in shock and a little anger. "Jessica! You barley know these boys! You can't expect that I'll allow you to share a motel room with them!"

Jess rolled her eyes. "Dad! I'm an adult and can make my own choices. And these boys both are Gentlemen. You don't have to fear for me."

"That's not respectable." Dave shouted back, he seemed to have forgotten that both Sam and Dean were sitting in the same room.

"They're not strange men! Haven't everything that they've done for us proved that?" Jess shouted at her father and nearly everyone's in the room was surprised when Jennifer decided to voice her opinion.

"Do either of these boys look like they're in a condition to harm Jess?" She pointed out to her husband. "And anyway, just from meeting them, I know they're not the kind to harm a woman or take advantage of her in any way."

"But Jess is dating one of them! I don't like where things could go if..."

"Dad! We went on like one and a half dates! Nothing is going to happen!" Jess growled.

"And besides Dave, Sam's brother is in the room with him. Do you think Sam would want to do anything with our daughter with his brother right next to him?" Jennifer reasoned in that strangely calm voice.

"Me and Dean will share a bed. We more often than not have to when traveling with our father. I trust you Jess will be put in no weird situations while with us." Sam assured him, and at the same time reminded Dave that he had heard every word the older man had just said.

"These boys just saved our lives. I for one fully trust them. Let Jess be able to talk with them about what just happened. I'm sure they want to discuss things. What is wrong with our daughter spending time with people her own age?"

Dave looked at his wife, then to his daughter and finally at the battered brothers sitting on the motel bed. For some reason he could feel himself trusting them. "Nothing. There's nothing wrong. I'm sorry for creating a havoc." He sighed and with that he left with his wife.

As soon as her father was gone Jess let out a frustrated sigh. "I'm so sorry about him."

"Don't be." Sam smiled at her. "What he experienced during the last few hours must have shocked him more than anything he's ever seen. Not only did he just learn that ghosts are real, he also wasn't able to protect his wife and daughter."

Jess sighed. "Yeah, you're right, but when it comes to me, he can be extremely overprotective to the point of insanity."

Sam rolled his eyes and reached over to playfully punch Dean in the shoulder. "Oh no it's absolutely fine. I know all about that."

Dean growled. "Whatever gimp, you know you'd be nowhere without my awesome big brother skills."

Jess laughed, some of her annoyance at her father melting away. "Well at least Dean isn't embarrassing unlike my father."

Dean cocked an eyebrow at her. "You don't think I'm embarrassing?"

Jess looked perplexed. "No, not at all. I think it's cute the ways you look out for Sam."

Sam moaned from the bed. "Okay, now _this _is embarrassing!"

"Well, it's only going to get worse little brother; I gotta check you for wounds."

Sam moaned even louder and Dean just rolled his eyes. He fetched the first aid kit and right away went to assessing Sam's wrist. His brother whimpered every time Dean touched it so he knew the bone must be bruised pretty badly and from the looks of it, sprained. Dean asked Jess to get some ice and while she did so he wrapped Sam's wrist carefully with an elastic wrap bandage. When Jess returned Dean balled up the ice in a washcloth and ordered Sam to hold it on his bandaged wrist for a while to try to minimize the swelling as much as they could. As Sam did this, Dean rolled up Sam's jeans and started pressing on his legs.

"What are you doing dude?" Sam asked with a soft chuckle.

"You told me that a computer desk landed on your legs full force." Dean said, repeating what Sam had told him in the car. "I just want to check that they're not broken."

Sam nodded silently, knowing perfectly well that his brother was right. A broken bone in his leg that went unnoticed because of his lack of feeling could cause him a lot of trouble.

After a minute or so Dean seemed satisfied. "They're bruised and we're going to have to keep an eye on that, but they're definitely not broken." He grabbed the icepack from Sam's good hand. "I have to take this away from you for a minute Sammy and flip you over, let me check your back."

Sam pouted. "Why? I'm fine."

Dean grunted as he slowly turned Sam over so he was lying on his stomach. He tried to be gentle but it was hard when Sam kept squirming in his hands. "You already had a damaged back that went uncared about for long time. I don't want it to be damaged any further. Sam, stop squirming and let me have a look at your spine."

With a sigh Sam finally did as he was told. He winced when Dean pressed on his back in a couple of places and the older brother frowned.

"I think you bruised your back more than once. That's going to hurt like a bitch but it doesn't look like anything too serious." Dean continued checking his brother and found a large lump on the top right side of his head. Not to mention he had a pretty nasty split lip and a dozen more scrapes and marks on his skin from the ghost's attacks. There was nothing they could do about those, though, except put more ice on the head wound. What Sam had to do was rest.

Dean sighed inaudibly. It was right what he had said before, Sam's injuries weren't serious but they would make it almost impossible for Sam to handle himself. He had to put his whole weight onto his arms and wrists every time he transferred into or out of his wheelchair. How could he possibly do that with a sprained wrist and a sore back? Not to mention the fact that he had to use his hands to move the wheelchair. Dean sighed again and this time it was audible. "You're going to have to take it real easy, Sam. I know you're not gonna like it but I'm afraid you'll have to let your awesome big brother help you for the next couple of days. Your wrist won't heal if you don't give it proper rest."

Sam grunted into the pillow, knowing perfectly well what this ordeal meant for him. For Dean, a sprained wrist was a piece of cake, for him it was the end of the world.

With Dean's help he turned over again, wincing softly when his sore back scraped over the sheets. Wearily, he looked at his brother. "It's your turn now, Dean," he said, determinedly. "We have to care for your knife wound."

It never ceased to amaze Dean how his little brother could think about him when he himself was hurting so badly. He glanced briefly at his bloody sleeve. "It's only a scratch, Sammy. The knife barely clipped me. I'm fine."

"Yes, I know you are," Sam replied grudgingly. "Now come over here and let me have a look at this."

Dean rolled his eyes. "Really, Sam I'm fine. How do you think I would've been able to carry you sasquatch with an injured arm?"

Jess laid her arm on Dean's shoulder. "But he's right. It's bleeding. So at least we have to dress it. What about I'm having a look at this and Sam can rest a bit?"

Dean took off his shirt with only a slight wince and Sam watched as Jess poured the hydrogen peroxide on Dean's wound. It sizzled and bubbled up, but to Sam's eye it didn't look like it would need stitches. That was good, because he doubted Jess knew how to stitch up someone and Sam for sure couldn't with only one arm available. Sam couldn't help but shudder when he saw the faded bullet wound scar from nearly eight years ago.

As Jess was carefully bandaging Dean's wound Sam noticed just how badly Dean was fidgeting. His left hand was taping on the bed sheets quickly and he was biting his fingernails on his right hand. Not to mention there was sweat beading on his forehead even though the air was on full blast in the room. Nicotine withdrawal. Crap, they didn't even pick out the right drug for Dean yet.

When Jess finished Sam spoke up. "Dean, do you want to hand me my laptop? I can look up stuff about that drug for you."

Dean shook his head though. "You need your rest. We can deal with that tomorrow. I have some old gum and patches in my duffle that I can use for tonight." He got up and unzipped his duffle, digging through it; he tossed out three more packs of cigarettes before he found both items he was looking for.

For just a short moment Sam was holding his breath, but Dean had given the packs only as much as a second glance. Sam smiled. He was insanely proud of his brother. Sam knew perfectly well how hard it was for Dean to ignore the cigarettes while every nerve in his body was screaming for only one drag.

Dean's hands were starting to shake badly as he popped the foil on the gum package and put a piece in his mouth. He closed his eyes as he started chewing and let out a small sigh.

"That helps a little." He said and his eye caught the packs of cigarettes on the floor. "I'm going to toss these in the bag in the Impala so I'm not tempted." Dean grabbed the packs swiftly and exited the room.

There wasn't much time until Dean was back so Sam spoke quickly. "I'm worried about him. He needs that drug." He whispered.

Jess sat next to him on the bed and ran a hand through his hair softly. "He'll be okay. I can look up some stuff too since he won't let you." She smiled.

Before Sam could respond Dean was back in the room. He tossed the Impala's keys on Sam's lap.

Sam looked at his brother questioningly. "In case you haven't noticed, I can't drive right now Dean."

"I want you to keep the keys. So I can't go out to the car and grab the cigarettes." Dean said seriously and then sat on the bed across from Sam and Jess and stared at the two. Even with the gum he was entwining his fingers together nervously, his eyes darting across the room every few seconds.

"Dean." Jess spoke up, obviously seeing the older brother's distress as well and trying to distract him. "So how do we get rid of a ghost?"

The familiar topic grabbed Dean's attention and he seemed to relax a bit.

"We need to find where they're buried and then salt and burn the bones." He told her, his knee bouncing slightly.

"Salt?" Jess asked and sounded confused.

"Yeah. Pour a bunch'a salt on it and light the corpse on fire."

Jess still looked dumbfounded so Sam tried to explain. "Salt wards away evil and supernatural creatures, keeps them away. If you pour salt on the ground things like evil spirits and demons can't come through. That's why we have it around our windows and doors. When you salt the corpse and then burn it, it's like getting rid of the evil for good. Although not all spirits are exactly evil, some are just very confused and angry."

Jess nodded her understanding but Dean rolled his eyes.

"Alright geek boy, she doesn't need a big logical explanation. Just the truth." He turned to Jess. "Iron keeps spirits away as well, don't know why...it just does. Sometimes the corpse was cremated which means we have to find a valuable possession of the corpse that it may be attached to and burn that. But usually...spirits can't stay around without a dead body buried in the ground."

"I see." Jess said quietly. She was silent for a few more seconds before she shook her head. "This is crazy, you know? You grow up with your parents telling you monsters and ghosts aren't real. Why don't they just tell us the truth?"

Dean frowned sadly. "Because they don't know about it. Supernatural creatures are very tricky, they like to make sure they aren't seen or discovered by humans. Most people that do discover what they are get killed. There have been so many deaths by supernatural creatures that have put other humans to blame. I don't even want to think how many innocent people were jailed for these nasty's crimes."

Jess sighed. "I would say people should be informed, but they wouldn't believe it anyway."

Dean watched as Sam grabbed a hold of Jess's hand and squeezed it. He smiled softly. "Yeah, but that's why we do what we do. To protect and save people." He paused for a moment before changing the subject. "So anyway, tomorrow I say we grab Sam's wheelchair and then we can try to find information on what happened at the house. We should all get cleaned up and go to bed so we can get up early tomorrow."

"Yeah." Jess agreed but Sam remained silent and his face was bright red suddenly.

"What's the matter with you?" Dean didn't mean for it to come out sounding so harsh, but he was feeling more impatient and grumpy by the minute. He really didn't have time for any of his brother's emo-crap.

Luckily Sam didn't seem to care about Dean's attitude, that or he understood. "I have to go to the bathroom." He said blatantly.

For a second Dean was wondering why in the world Sam was telling him this. What was he going to do about that? But then he remembered Sam didn't have his wheelchair with him. He instantly felt bad for his brother.

"Alright." Dean said as casually as he could and gently picked Sam up from the bed, all the while his brother's cheeks were blushing madly.

"Sam." Jess said before Dean carried Sam to the bathroom. "You worry too much, quit it." She smiled.

Dean grinned; the girl really did know what to say at the right time. "Yeah, listen to your girl Sammy, she has some great advice."

Dean knew it was worth it when Sam laughed.

* * *

After bringing Sam a fresh t-shirt and a pair of pants and reminding him for the umpteenth time to call him if he needed help, Dean closed the bathroom door to give his brother some private space.

Jess looked at him. "Do you want to look up that drug Sam was talking about?" She asked and Dean decided why the hell not, it was the perfect chance. Plus it would give his mind something else to concentrate on other than the cravings. However, one thing he was worried about was Jess finding out he was dyslexic. But Jess seemed like a nice enough girl that she wouldn't care about his learning disability.

"Sure." He smiled at her and grabbed Sam's laptop from its case. He set it up at the table and Jess came to sit in a chair next to him.

The laptop booted up and Dean clicked on the internet. He was about to type something in but as he looked down at the keyboard all he saw were a jumble of letters and keys. He shook his head and tried to clear the confusion. Sometimes his dyslexia would get really bad to the point where he just couldn't read anything. It mostly happened only when he was really tired or frustrated but right now, he was jittery, nervous and going through withdrawal. There was no way he could read anything right now, every time he glanced back on the keyboard things seemed more blurry and mixed up.

Jess was looking at him with a worried expression on her face but she didn't say anything. Dean sighed and stared at the ground.

"I'm sorry...I can't...I'm dyslexic and right now with all these cravings I'm having a real hard time reading the keyboard." He swallowed thickly, feeling humiliated. He was about to say more when Jess put a hand on his shoulder.

"It's no problem Dean." She told him kindly. "I'll just type it in and read what I find to you. No big deal at all." And that was all that she said. She didn't linger on the topic and brushed it off as she typed 'Stop smoking drugs' into Google. Dean felt extremely grateful at the moment and knew that his brother couldn't have chosen a better girl.

So while Sam was in the bathroom Jess read about a drug called Chantix that seemed to work. Smoking released positive receptors to your brain which is why it's hard to quit. Chantix, according to the article blocked those nicotine receptors so smoking didn't feel as pleasurable. It also sent different receptors to your brain but these help reduce the signs and symptoms of withdrawal.

But seriously? Receptors and your brain were involved with smoking? What the heck? What were receptors anyway? Dean always just thought the only thing that was involved was your lungs....obviously not.

"It says here that the drug works best if you start it a week before you want to quit." Jess told Dean and looked at him.

Dean shrugged. "Well I'm not going to start up again, so I guess that doesn't matter. It will still help right?" He chewed on his gum nervously.

"Oh yeah." Jess nodded quickly. "You should start with one pill a day and then gradually increase according to this. You should stay on it for twelve weeks."

"Alright. Can I still use the gum and patches while on it?"

"That's actually a good choice because it says your chances of quitting go up even more if you use a drug and the aid. Plus, another page I read, the patches are a really good aide. They give you some nicotine but with none of the dangerous stuff that's in cigarettes. And because it's in low doses you won't get high blood pressure like you do with cigarettes." She explained.

Dean shook his head in disbelief. "You really read a bunch of stuff didn't you?" It had only been ten minutes and Jess found all this out? Then again, normal people did read on a much faster pace than he did. It would probably take him more than twice as long to read everything that Jess did on a good day.

"Yeah I did." Jess told him and then turned around to face him. "I want to help you too; Sam's not the only one that cares."

Dean was spared the answer to Jess's confession when Sam called from the bathroom. Murmuring a genuine "thank you" and smiling at her, Dean got up to help his brother back into the room.

* * *

Sam woke up the next morning with Jess curled next to him, her head nearly brushing his shoulder and her left hand on his chest. The sight made him smile despite his horribly aching body. Even though they told Jess's father that he and Jess wouldn't share a bed, they did anyway. It's not like they were doing anything in it other than lying next to each other and Jess had seemed determined to break her father's rules anyway.

Suddenly the door flew open and Sam was blinded by the bright summer sun. For a few moments all he heard was Dean tripping over the threshold and cursing before his brother closed the door. Sam blinked a couple times so his eyes could readjust and saw Dean standing at the door with a plastic bag in his hand.

"Hey, you're awake." Dean said in greeting and walked past Sam's bed to place the bag on the table. From the closer view Sam could see dark bags under his brother's eyes and how his hair seemed to be sticking up in all angles. He looked like crap. "How're you feeling? Any better?"

Sam considered the question for a brief moment, doing a quick mental inventory of his injuries. His wrist was throbbing and his back felt like it had turned into a pretzel during the night. The rest of his bruises weren't hurting so bad, though. "Yeah I'll be okay," he answered. "I'm just sore as hell. What about you, did you get any sleep at all?" Sam asked him with an eyebrow raised. "Where the heck did you go?"

"I slept for about two hours on and off, fuckin' cravings. Tried everything to stay asleep but I kept having nightmares and headaches and I was shaking the whole god damned night." Sam noticed that Dean's hands were still shaking, even worse than yesterday as he struggled to open something that he bought in the bag.

"Dean, man...you could've woken me up. I would have helped or something..."

Dean turned around and rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah, how?" Sam realized he was right about that. "Anyway, I was pretty surprised you and Jess didn't wake up, I wasn't exactly being quiet."

Sam smiled. "Yeah, I think we were both pretty wiped out."

Dean nudged his head towards Jess who was still somehow out cold. "Yeah, I can see that."

"So what's in the bag?"

"Well..." Dean started. "I went out at like five in the morning, decided to get some fresh air. Walked around a bit but my eyes felt like they were on fire so I stopped and got a couple coffees. I felt a little better after that, walked around a bit more...oh and I stopped at the drugstore in town and gave the guy a fake prescription. I got that drug." He finished with a grin.

Sam couldn't help but grin along with Dean. "Awesome. Did you take it yet?"

"No, that's what I'm trying to open dimwad." Dean said and with one final tug ripped open what Sam now saw was a prescription bag. Dean reached in and pulled out a box of pills, ripped one out and swallowed it dry.

"Umm...aren't you supposed to take that with food or something?" Sam asked with a grimace. "You might get sick taking it with an empty stomach."

"Oh I've got that taken care of, don't you worry Sammy." Dean smirked and flipped the plastic bag from the store upside down. Twinkies, cupcakes and multiple candy bars instantly littered the table. What the hell....

"That's your breakfast?" Sam asked in a dumbfounded voice.

"Nah, that's part two of my breakfast. I already had (the) some earlier which was a burger and fries from McDonalds and a tub of that Ben and Jerry's ice cream." Dean grinned and stuffed a Twinkie in his mouth. That was unhealthy even for Dean, never had Sam seen his brother eat that much junk in such a short period of time, let alone the start of the day.

Sam suddenly heard quiet laughter coming from next to him and was shocked to see Jess grinning at him. She giggled again and snuggled closer to Sam, putting her head on his chest.

"You two are hilarious to listen to when you think no one's listening." She buried her head into Sam's shirt as he laughed.

"When did you wake up?" Dean asked with a cough as he swallowed his Twinkie. He couldn't help but smile when Sam grabbed Jess's hand in his good one and kissed it. His brother was such the gentleman. Dean had to admit it would be nice to actually get to know a girl and go slow, rather than one night stands that he would forget the next day.

"When you opened the door of course and came in. After having to live in a house where a ghost was lurking, the little noises tend to wake me up." She turned her head so she was facing Dean but kept it resting on Sam's chest. "And it wasn't an exactly 'small' noise you made."

Sam watched as Dean blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Oh, I'm sorry I...."

But Jess just chuckled. "Don't worry about it Dean. I'm the one that got tons of sleep." But then she frowned and sat up. "Unlike you."

Dean just shrugged. "Well hopefully in a few days these pills will really start kicking in so I'll be fine. As soon as I feel like I don't want to claw my eyes out I'll sleep like a baby again. So what's the plan for today?"

"We should probably head back to the house as soon as possible." Sam told him, thinking about how his wheelchair was still sitting in the kitchen on Jess's place. He went to lift himself into a sitting position only to wince from the sharp pain in his wrist and helplessly falling back to the bed when it gave in without warning.

Dean was about to move forward to help his brother but smiled when Jess carefully helped him sit up. "I think I should also grab some stuff for me and my parents in the house since we might be staying in the motel for a little while. If it's safe to go in, that is." She said.

"Yeah, we're pretty sure it is. From what you told us the ghost is only active at night. But we'll have to bring some equipment just in case." Sam told her

"Alright." Dean said and stood up, about to help Sam get ready. "Let's get going."

* * *

After a rather long conversation with Jess's father the brothers were able to head over to the house with her. Dave didn't want Jess going back to a ghost-infested house and Dean, who had been trying so hard to keep calm had almost stormed away. He just couldn't deal with trying to explain the situation with these obnoxious cravings. Once again, Jess's mother was the voice of reason within the conversation and had allowed Jess to go, trusting the brothers to take care of her daughter.

"God, he's so annoying!" Jess complained as they were driving to her house. "I'm an adult now, not a little girl and I'm completely capable of making my own choices." She nearly repeated herself from yesterday and was obviously frustrated.

"Jess, it's alright. I mean, you are his only child and he was leaving you with two people he doesn't really know." Sam turned around to look at her in the backseat.

"But I know you guys and I trust you both. He should trust my judgment."

"Well you're not the only one." Sam told her. "My dad doesn't always let me do things that I know I can do. Sometimes he makes me stay out of certain hunts and it does bug me but I know he's just doing it to protect me."

"He doesn't want to lose you Sam." Dean interrupted, his eyes fixed on the road. "He already thought he did once, so it's not a surprise he wants to keep you safe." He then looked into the mirror so he could eye Jess. "Jess, your dad is just worried about you. Hunting is a very dangerous thing. If I wasn't sure that this ghost doesn't seem violent towards you and that we can protect you, I wouldn't let you come with us."

Jess opened her mouth but was saved from saying anything when they pulled up to her house. Dean turned his head to look at her. "Have you ever used a gun before?"

_"Dean!"_ Sam complained. He knew his brother wasn't exactly thinking straight and was short on patience without his cigarettes but to ask Jess that question seemed a little out there.

"Um...no." Jess answered and blushed as Dean turned to look at Sam.

"It's not like I was going to give her an actual gun even if she had used one before Sam! I was going to give her one filled with rock salt, chill out man." He grumbled and got out of the car, slamming his door with a bang.

_Geeze,_ mood swings much?

"Where's he going?" Jess asked and then turned around to see that Dean had the trunk of the Impala opened.

"Just getting some supplies that we're going to need." Sam answered and within a second Dean was back and had his door opened.

"Alright," He said. "Sam, I'll grab your wheelchair and bring it out to you. That's easier than carrying you inside. Jess, you're coming with me."

"That's iron right? It makes the ghosts kinda go away like salt does?" Jess questioned, trying to make sure she got her facts straight.

"Yep, that's right." Dean grinned. "Hopefully we won't have to use it though."

"So I just...throw this at it?" Jess asked while staring down at the bar and then back up at Dean.

"Sure, if you want. Though it would be better to just swing at it like a baseball bat. As long as it hits the freak, then it's good." Dean told her and then faced his brother. "We'll be out as soon as we can Sammy, don't go driving my car into the lake or anything."

Sam rolled his eyes. "Well, that would be pretty stupid of me, considering I would_ drown_."

Dean just reached over and ruffled Sam's hair. "Good boy." He said taking a step back just in time before Sam batted his hand away. Jess walked over to Sam and he grabbed her hand.

"Hey, don't worry. Just follow Dean and listen to what he says and you'll be fine. He won't let anything happen to you."

Jess simply smiled, knowing how Sam hated it to be stuck in the car. "I know, I trust you guys, remember?" She leaned down and cupped Sam's face with her hand, gently running a thumb over his cheekbone bone before she moved closer and kissed him.

"Hey, you two lovebirds can have as much time as you want when we get back to the motel, but I gotta borrow your girl for the moment Sammy." Dean told his brother with a wink.

Sam huffed but Jess laughed and got up to follow the older brother.

"You guys be careful." Sam called out after them.

* * *

The front door was unlocked now which was a good sign that the ghost would be resting at the moment and hopefully wouldn't bother them Dean tried hard to clear his head when he walked through the door, carefully checking the surroundings. Despite taking the drug and the Nicotine patch he had on right now, his head was still pounding and his eyes were itchy and a little watery. He was feeling pains in his body where there shouldn't be any pain and while that was described as a common side effect, it still freaked Dean out. Not to mention the never-ending headache he had going on, he read up on this before he quit and knew it was because of his sinuses clearing out.

Dean understood that to quit smoking, you had to find out why you started in the first place. And he did know, he started because of how left-out he felt, because of the guilt of thinking his brother died because of him, because of feeling like a loser. But that wasn't the case anymore. He was done with those things that were affecting him so there was no real reason why he should need to smoke. The problems which caused him to start were all but gone.

But right now he had to push all those pains aside and concentrate and protecting Jess and getting his brother's wheelchair. Just being in this house again brought back the recent memory of falling to the ground, leaving Sam defenseless to get stabbed in the leg...

"Dean? Are you okay?" It was Jess's voice and she sounded frightened. Dean looked over at her and realized that he was panting and sweating, his body shaking lightly. God he was a complete mess, he honestly didn't think he could feel any worse than he did right now. He knew the pill took about a week to fully work but every minute that passed without a cigarette felt like days to Dean.

"I'm okay." He lied and plastered on a smile that didn't even fool Jess. "Don't worry about me. Come on; let's go get your stuff you need. It's upstairs right?"

Jess still looked worried, but she nodded. "Yeah, it's upstairs." She said as they made their way over to the steps. Dean didn't fail to notice how Jess put a hand on his back to steady him when he swayed on his feet.

They made it upstairs without incident and Dean cleared his head enough to keep watch as Jess grabbed a suitcase and started pilling stuff into it quickly.

"I think I have everything. We need toothbrushes, hair brushes; pairs of clothes....my mom wanted her tennis shoes..." Jess muttered to herself as she zipped up the suitcase.

"Yeah, I don't think you guys would need anything else. Motel provides the soap and shampoo, of course." Dean told her as they hurried down the stairs.

Quickly scanning the bottom floor, Dean found Sam's wheelchair that had been thrown in the kitchen by the ghost. He swiftly picked it up, briefly scanned it for any damage, and the two of them hurried outside to an anxious Sam.

"Congratulations little brother, you're mobile once again." Dean joked as they reached the Impala, causing Sam to shake his head.

"Thanks. Was the house quiet?" Sam questioned as he watched Dean fix his wheelchair for him.

"Yeah, no sight of the little ghosty." Dean sat in Sam's wheelchair and bounced up and down a bit to make sure it was stable. "Alright, let's get you in. Oh and Jess, you can put that bag and the iron bar in the car if you want."

Jess did as Dean suggested while Dean picked up his brother, being very careful not to jostle his bad wrist. Once Sam was seated though he looked up at Dean with worry.

"Hey, you okay?"

Dean let out a long and annoyed sigh. "Yes! I'm fine! Why does everyone keep worrying about me?"

"Because I could feel you shaking when you picked me up. And you're sweating." The worry in Sam's voice never left.

Dean just brushed it off and shrugged though. He really didn't want to go into any conversation about how bad he was feeling right now. "It's nothing that won't go away in a few days.

Sam nodded, leaving the subject alone. He could imagine how hard it was for his brother not to constantly think of getting a good smoke and he was proud of him. Trying to suppress a wince, Sam shifted in his chair, trying to find a position that would be less painful. He just couldn't sit comfortably when his bruised back was giving him hell. He was determined not to show his discomfort, but a side glance told him that Dean had already noticed. Who was he trying to fool anyway? Dean could read his movements like a book, actually way better than he could read a book. Sam suppressed a chuckle. He appreciated that Dean didn't dwell on his problems, but he knew that his protective brother would be adamant about him lying down for a while once they were back in the motel. And for once Sam thought about complying without any argument.

Dean watched his brother with silent sympathy. Briefly, he considered suggesting that Sam should wait in the car and lie down a while but he knew that Sam would never do that so he just saved his breath. He turned to Jess who was closing the trunk.

"Now, Jess...how about we try talking to a few of your neighbors and see if they know anything about who lived in your house before."

"Alright." Jess replied, coming around to stand by them. And Dean couldn't brush off the fact that she sounded a little excited. "Well the closest one is my next store neighbor. He's an older guy so he probably knows something. But we never really talked to him at all. He doesn't seem all that friendly."

"Let's just hope he doesn't bit our heads off then." Dean grinned. "Sam you want me to..." He gestured to Sam's wheelchair and his bandaged wrist at which Sam blushed beat red.

"I can push myself Dean, I'm not an invalid." Sam ducked his head down and turned so Jess couldn't see his face.

Dean was in a better mood he would have joked around with him and made his brother laugh so he could forget about his embarrassment. But Dean just wasn't feeling great enough to do that right now.

"I know you're not Sam. But your wrist is sprained; you need to take it easy so you don't damage it more." Dean pointed out.

Sam sighed. "I know I won't be able to pull myself in and out of my wheelchair for a while, but I'm still able to get over to the next house on my own, Dean. It's not like it's a mile away."

Normally Dean would continue to argue, but even this small disagreement was making his head pound even more. "Alright, just don't come whining to me when it hurts." And Dean could tell it hurt. Even though the house was close, Sam's bad arm was shaking by the time they reached the porch step. Dean and Sam exchanged a brief glance then Sam turned his wheelchair around and Dean pulled it over the step in one smooth movement.

"Just for the record, Jess, if the steps are not this high, Sam is usually able to get over them by himself. He's pretty skilled. That is when he not happens to be a one-armed gimp."

Sam growled. "So I'm lucky that I have a two-armed jerk at my disposal."

Jess laughed out loud. "You are a great pair, you know that?"

Dean just grinned as he rang the doorbell and they waited patiently for the door to open. Sam tugged at his jacket that he was wearing even though it was nearing 80 degrees and pulled the sleeve over his bandaged wrist, giving his brother a self-conscious smile when he noticed his enquiring eyes on him. He didn't know himself why he would want to hide his injury, maybe it was because he felt even more disabled with it.

They heard rustling inside the house but no one showed up. Jess looked at Dean who shrugged and rang the bell again. Suddenly the door was yanked open. A rather grouchy looking older man was standing there, eyeing them thoroughly. "What do you want?" he asked quite unfriendly.

Jess plucked up her courage and stepped forward. "Hi there Mr. Luke, I'm Jessica from next door and these are my friends Sam and Dean." She introduced them all.

The man frowned at her, and then he lowered his gaze down on Sam, his brows knitting together with obvious disgust when he stared at the wheelchair. Dean hated this look, it made him furious and he knew it would embarrass his brother. But there was something different in this man's eyes, instead of the usual pity that people held when they looked at Sam, this guy looked...angry...infuriated...and Dean couldn't understand why.

"You got to be kidding me," Mr. Luke hissed. "You really think you can get through with this farce?"

Bewildered, Jess looked at Sam and back to Mr. Luke. "I don't know what you mean. I'm sorry if we interrupted..."

"Save your breath, girl. I know how it works. You're going to tell me about your poor friend and that he needs money for surgery that would make him walk again." The man's voice became angrier with every word. "Do you think I'm stupid? I'm sick of you college students trying to scam people out of their savings because you can't handle your money properly and spend it on alcohol and drugs."

"What?" It was Sam that was able to speak first. "Sir, we're not..."

"Of course you're not. Like those guys who showed up last week. Oh yeah, the one on crutches looked really pitiable. But when they had my money I could see them leave from the window in my living room and miraculously he seemed to be healed just by getting my money. He could walk just fine."

Jess's mouth fell open. "I can't believe people would do something like that."

Mr. Luke huffed. "Nice try, girl, but I know what you're up to and I don't find it funny at all. I have a brother-in-law who's in a wheelchair and it's despicable to fake a disability and count on people's pity. You want my advice? Next time you try something like this find someone who at least can sit in a wheelchair less awkwardly. People who need a wheelchair sit in it comfortably and not in a strained way like he does. I watched you coming down the street. He can't even properly work the wheels. So please stop this pathetic fake act and leave before I call the police." With that Mr. Luke took a threatening step forward, his hands outstretched like he was going to try to shove Sam down the step. Instinctively, Sam grabbed his wheels and retreated, not thinking of the narrow porch step he was standing on. Only Dean's quick reaction saved him from tumbling down. Still holding on to the wheelchair in his attempt to steady it, Dean felt his blood boil. "What was that for, you stupid old man?" he growled.

Mr. Luke nodded with no humor. "Good reaction, boys. I still don't buy it for a minute. Just get out of this chair before you get used to it." Mr. Luke turned around and all but slammed the door in their faces.

Jess stood there dumbfounded, unable to move, while Dean earnestly considered knocking the door in and going after the man. Suddenly, out of the blue, Sam began to laugh. He laughed so hard that he began to grimace when his back ached even more from the movement, but couldn't stop himself. Dean looked at him, incredulously. "You think that's funny?"

"Yeah." Sam wiped the tears from his eyes. "Yeah, I do. I've never been able to walk in my whole life and this guy thinks I'm faking. It is funny."

Dean calmed down a little. Sam's laughter was contagious. If his brother could deal with this weird episode he could as well. Allowing himself a small grin, he helped Sam down the porch step.

"That wasn't very successful," Sam stated. "What we're gonna do now?"

Jess bit her lip. "There's a nice family that lives down the street. If you're up to it, we can try and see if they'll answer our questions." Furtively, she turned around. "You think he's watching us?"

"You bet," Sam grinned. "He's waiting for me to jump out of my chair."

Dean huffed. "I'm really sorry, he'd be disappointed. But he was right with one thing, Sammy. You can't find a comfortable position and don't tell me your back doesn't hurt like hell, not to mention your wrist. You're barely able to wheel yourself straight ahead. So let me play big brother and let me push you while you sit back and try to relax."

Sam hated it to be pushed, but he did predict this earlier after all. And looking into Dean's face with the no-nonsense expression on it, he decided that he would agree with Dean on this one.


	10. Chapter 10

_Hey everyone! Just want to let you all know that this chapter actually was not written by me but my awesome beta Gabi who I've been working with since the end of 'The Missing Piece'. Her username on this site is gabi2305 if you would like to send her a message. I've just been so busy lately and Gabi was kind enough to take over this chapter and the next one for me while I work on my other story! She knows this whole verse just as well as I do and wrote an awesome chapter! I hope you'll enjoy it, because I did. :)_

_By the way, if any of you were reading my story "Barely Holding On", the next chapter will be up tomorrow. I know, about time, right?_

* * *

Sitting back and relaxing like Dean had suggested wasn't this easy, though. As comfortable as his wheelchair used to be under normal circumstances, it wasn't today. The edge of its backrest pressed right into one of the worst bruises on Sam's back and every tiny move made it rub against the sore spot and aggravate the injury even more. But sitting without leaning back strained his stomach muscles and he couldn't do it for longer than a few minutes. He was literally sitting between a rock and a hard place.

At least Dean knew what to do with his hands for a while. Sam smiled without humor. His brother was way too jittery for his liking. He was meant to take one drug for the first three days and then increase the dose to two pills a day but it would still take a while for the withdrawal symptoms to recede. Sam knew Dean was having a hard time which was fortunate for Mr. Luke. If Dean had had his senses together he would have ripped the man a new one for what he had said about Sam. Sam was pretty sure that Dean's lame reaction wasn't due to any politeness towards an older man, but plainly because of his smoke deprived brain.

Sam closed his eyes for a moment. Dean wasn't the only one who would have a hard time. Sam and their dad would have to deal with his jittery fits and his mood swings. But it was worth the trouble and in this moment he swore to himself that he wouldn't hold Dean responsible for any slip in words or behavior during the next couple of days.

He focused his attention on Jess. "So what do you know about this family?" he enquired.

"The Hendersons?" Jess shrugged. "Not much. Parents, two teenage kids. I've seen them a few times. They've been always friendly but we haven't talked much yet."

Dean pulled Sam up the porch step when the door opened and a middle aged woman got out. She frowned at them with an inscrutable expression on her face.

"Hello Mrs. Henderson," Sam sighed. "Let me guess, Mr. Luke just called you." He huffed when she nodded. It was ridiculous. Usually, they could take advantage of his disability. Not that he intended to do so, but the sympathy people felt for a young man in a wheelchair opened them up a little. But not in this case. Before he could explain, though, Mrs. Henderson turned to Jess and her frown deepened.

"Aren't you Dave Moore's daughter? Jessica?"

Jess nodded. "Yes, I am. And these are my friends Sam and Dean."

Sam took over. "Look, I can imagine what Mr. Luke told you but I can assure you he's wrong."

"He told me to watch out for a couple of scammers who would try to steal my money by counting on my sympathy for a disabled guy. He told me it was obvious that you're faking." Inquiringly, she looked at Sam.

"Believe me, I'm not." Sam gave her his best smile, dimples and all.

Mrs. Henderson nodded and again looked at Jess. "I can't believe that Dave's daughter would do such a thing." She smiled genuinely. "At least not in your parents' neighborhood. So what do you want?"

"We heard of the fire that destroyed Jess's place a few years ago," Sam told her. "We would like to hear more about it, so we thought the neighbors could help us here. Mr. Luke never gave us a chance to explain. So we were hoping you'd be a little…" Sam frantically searched for the right word.

"Less grumpy?" Mrs. Henderson bit her lip, suppressing a chuckle. "Actually, I am. Please come in."

Dean hadn't said a word yet but Sam could feel his tense grip on the wheelchair handles ease a bit. When Sam grabbed the handrims, Dean let go. He knew that Sam didn't like to be pushed in front of other people.

Mrs. Henderson led them to the living room. "Please make yourself comfortable. I was about to pour myself a cup of tea. Would you like some?"

Sam glanced at Dean then smiled at the woman. "Tea would be great, Mrs. Henderson, thank you."

"Please call me Maureen. I'll be back in a minute."

When she disappeared in the kitchen, Dean turned to Sam. "Tea, dude?"

Sam laughed. "Maybe she has some with nicotine flavor."

Dean grimaced at him. "Haha, very funny."

Sam was still chuckling when Maureen came back with two cups of tea on a tray and two bottles of beer in her hand. "I thought you two would rather go for this than a cup of tea." She handed the bottles to Sam and Dean and received a grateful nod from the older brother. When Sam took the bottle, Maureen frowned. "What happened to your hand, Sam?"

Sam looked at the bandage and pulled a face. "Just a little accident."

Maureen put the tea on the table and asked Jess to help herself. "May I have a look at it?" she asked. "I'm a nurse." Without waiting for an answer she sat down in front of Sam and took his hand. Sam winced at her prodding and poking, causing Dean to look like he would just go and throw Maureen out of her own house.

"Have you have an x-ray taken of that?" Maureen asked.

Sam shook his head. "It's not so bad."

"Could be a hairline fracture," Maureen mused. "I wouldn't take the chance that your hand is even more injured than you assume. I guess you can't afford having a permanently impaired hand."

Sam's face fell at her words and he could see his expression mirrored in Dean's face. "You think it's that bad?"

Maureen shrugged. "As I said, it could be a hairline fracture. But perhaps it's only badly bruised. Do you have any other injuries?"

Yes, I was smacked into a wall by a ghost and my back feels like it's broken once again. I'm sore all over from being thrown around and I ended up with a knife sticking out of my thigh. Sam smirked inwardly. It would be interesting to see Maureen's reaction if he voiced his thoughts.

"No, I'm fine," he said. "I just didn't pay attention and bruised my hand on the doorframe." From her face Sam could tell that she didn't believe him. Did he really think he could fool a nurse?

"You want something for the pain?"

"No, thanks. That's not necessary." Actually, Sam already regretted that he hadn't taken a painkiller in the morning. But accepting her offer would mean confessing that his pain wasn't just from a sprained wrist. Although he would bet that she already knew that it wasn't only his hand that was hurting, he had no plans on telling her about his injuries. Sam hated the fuss she was making about him, resulting in an extremely worried glance from his older brother. Time to change the subject.

"So, Maureen, did you know the former inhabitants of Jess's place?"

Maureen leaned back on her chair. "Of course I did. I've lived here my whole life. This house belonged to my parents. The Moores' place was owned by a family named Stoker. They had a sfon, Jason who was a few years younger than me. His parents left him the house, so he moved in with his wife Susan. She was so happy at first to have her own place."

"What happened?" Dean required.

"I don't know." Maureen shook her head, sadly. "She lost it. Jason had to travel a lot for his job and he had to spend the night out of town a few times a month. Susan couldn't bear to be alone during the night. She was having panic attacks and started smashing the dishes."

"She did?"

"I guess she was trying to get some attention. Once I witnessed how she begged Jason not to leave her. It was heart-wrenching. But what could the poor guy do? He couldn't give up his job to stay with her."

Sam leaned forward, resting his forearms on his thighs. "What happened to her?"

"When Jason came home one day the house was a mess. The dishes were broken, the furniture thrown around, the television was smashed into the sideboard and Susan was sitting in a corner, sobbing and scared to death."

Dean and Sam shared a knowing glance.

Maureen bit her lip, obviously wondering if she should share a certain piece of information with the young people or not.

"What did Susan tell about what happened?" Jess asked her.

Maureen looked at her for a moment, then she stood up, rubbing her arms. "She told Jason that it was a ghost. That the house was haunted. She said the ghost had tried to kill her and wouldn't let her out."

Sam haltingly nodded, giving Jess who visibly paled an encouraging smile. "Did anyone believe her?"

Maureen looked at him, incredulous. "Of course not. We're really down to earth people here. I mean would you believe someone who told you that their house's interior was destroyed by a ghost?"

Sam and Dean chose not to give an answer but luckily Maureen didn't seem to wait for one. "Jason found her a good psychiatrist, but things didn't get better. Susan begged Jason to move away, but it was his parents' house, the place where he grew up, so he just didn't want to leave." Maureen started pacing through the room. "And then, one night when Jason was away, Susan set the house on fire."

There was silence in the room until Dean cleared his throat. "How did she do it?"

"I don't know. She kept claiming that it wasn't her. That it was this ghost that once again wanted to kill her by burning the house while she was sleeping. She said she had been lucky to even make it out of the house."

"And again no one believed her," Sam concluded.

"She was admitted to a psychiatric ward. Jason was devastated, the poor guy. I heard from him some time ago. Susan seems to be better now and they moved up to New York, but she still thinks she was attacked by a ghost."

Jess grabbed Sam's hand and pressed it ever so slightly, but Maureen noticed. "It's scary, isn't it?" she smiled at her and sat down again. "But don't be afraid, Jessica, ghosts don't exist. It's just so sad for Susan. I really liked her."

Dean sat his empty bottle on the table. "Who rebuilt the house?"

"Some building society bought the property a few years later and built a new house. But as far as I know the basement is still the original one. It wasn't destroyed by the fire. The company rented the house to tourists over a couple of years. There were different people each season. I'm really glad your parents bought it, Jessica."

Dean clasped his hands in his lap. "You said you've lived here your whole life. Before the Stoker family, were there any other inhabitants?"

"I was very little at the time the house was built, I don't know if my memory is all that correct." Maureen was thinking hard. "There was this couple, Frederic something and his wife Gloria." She laughed out loud. "They were in their late twenties or early thirties and they looked so old to me. Gloria very often came over to babysit me and I liked her very much. Frederic, too, he was my Prince Charming and I wanted to marry him when I grew up."

"Gloria didn't mind?" Sam smiled.

"No, not in this case."

Both Sam and Dean raised their eyebrows, silently encouraging Maureen to go on.

"Frederic seemed to be not only my Prince Charming. There were others and in those cases Gloria did mind. They started fighting. I can actually remember a fight I witnessed. Frederic always gave me candy and I snuck away to get some. I saw Frederic hitting Gloria and I remember it clearly because that was the moment I decided that Frederic wouldn't be the best choice after all." Maureen paused. "You want another beer?" she asked. "Jessica? More tea?"

All three of them shook their heads, eager to know more of the story, so Maureen continued. "Eventually, Gloria had enough of his cheating. One night she packed her things and left."

"Have you heard of her again?" Dean asked.

"No. Frederic told my parents that they got a divorce and that she married a wealthy man in the Northeastern States. I hope that luck was on her side that time. She deserved it."

"How about Frederic?" Jess wanted to know.

"He also married again. I can remember the party, because it was on my 5th birthday. I wore a pink dress and I felt so pretty." Maureen smiled, but grew earnest again. "Frederic wasn't very lucky with his wives, though. Maybe it's cruel to say this but it's like destiny wanted to punish him for cheating on Gloria so many times."

"Why?" Dean grinned. "The next one left him, too?"

"No, she died." Maureen didn't seem to notice that Dean and Sam suddenly straightened up, sharing a quick glance. "She fell down the stairs just a week after they got married and broke her neck. Frederic saw her slip on the steps, but couldn't do anything."

"Poor girl," Sam muttered. "Do you remember her name?"

Maureen shook her head. "I only now that her initials would be M.A. I remember a joke she made that our names began with the same letters. My full name is Maureen Annabelle," she explained."

"She is buried here, I assume?" Dean said casually.

"Yeah, she is. I don't remember the cemetery, though, because we have three of them in town, but I clearly remember how devastated Frederic was. He lived in the house for another month or two and then moved away. I can understand why he did. There were too many memories of happier times in the house. Then the Stoker family moved in." Maureen smiled at Jess. "Now you know your house's history."

"Yes, that's great." Jess beamed and got up. "Thank you so much for telling us. It's a great story."

"Yeah," Sam agreed. "Thank you for taking the time."

"You're welcome." She smiled at Sam. "Do me a favor and get your hand examined."

Dean grabbed the handles of the wheelchair. "We'll think about it," he told Maureen and when Sam turned around he could see that Dean actually meant it.

* * *

Sam grinned when Dean helped him into the car. "I'm proud of you, Dean."

"Why?"

"You actually managed to sit for half an hour on your ass without fidgeting too much or being jittery all over."

"Yeah, thank you," Dean grumbled. "I appreciate your sympathy. Maybe we could go back to friendly Mr. Luke and ask for some money to pay for my detox." He changed the subject."How about going to the diner?"

"A bite to eat would be great." Jess slipped on the backseat behind Sam and hugged him from behind. "So what now? Do we know what we need to know?"

Dean started the engine and looked at Sam. "What do you think how old Maureen is? In her fifties?"

Sam shrugged. "Could be her late forties as well."

"You should have asked her."

"About her age? Dude, you just don't do that."

Jess let her gaze wander between the boys. "Hey guys, what's wrong with you? We're hunting a ghost and you're wondering about my neighbor's age?"

Sam turned around. "Actually we are. You don't by any chance happen to know how old she is?"

"No I don't. And it doesn't matter. It's none of your concern."

Dean laughed. "Relax Jess. It's not that Sam would hit on her. Although I have to say that she fell for his smile."

Sam growled at him. "She didn't."

"She absolutely did."

"Jerk."

"Gimp."

That was when Jess whacked both of them over the head.

"Hey," Dean exclaimed playfully. "Can't you see I'm driving? If you want start hitting men then stick with Sam, okay?"

"Just give it a rest, you two."

Sam turned his head. "Maureen told us that Frederic was married on her 5th birthday. If we know her age we'll know the year they married. Then we can go to the civil registry and search for their wedding entry to get their last name. Then we only have to find the right cemetery and her grave for a nice salt and burn."

Jess's mouth fell open. "Wow. You figured this out when she told you about her birthday? I'm impressed."

Dean shrugged dismissively. "It's called research." He pulled into the parking lot of a diner. "Here we are."

* * *

"So you think she's our ghost?" Jess asked after they ordered their meals.

"Definitely." Dean took the nicotine gum out of his mouth and wrapped it in a piece of paper before putting it in the ashtray. "She wasn't ready to leave when this accident happened. Imagine you die just one week after you got married. She was looking forward to a life with her husband and then," he snapped his fingers, "nothing."

"It explains why she is still searching for her husband," Sam added.

"And she does so in the house where she died."

Jess pondered on the events. "You know, I'm glad I met the two of you."

"Of course you are," Dean grinned, winking at Sam.

Jess sighed. "You know Dean, sometimes I'm tempted to agree with Sam that you're a jerk."

Dean tried to look offended but couldn't when he looked at Sam's broad grin. "So please tell us why you're glad to have met us other than for the obvious reason?"

"I feel so sorry for this girl, Susan. That was her name, was it?" With her finger Jess traced the pattern the sun painted on the table. "I experienced the same things she did. My dad even suggested finding a psychologist for me. I didn't realize before how bad it could have gotten. My parents would have meant well but if it wasn't for you I could pretty much have ended in a ward like her."

Sam and Dean didn't know what to say. They knew she was right.

Jess grabbed Sam's left hand and reached over the table to take Dean's. "Thank you for believing me. And don't give me this crap that it's your job."

Dean smiled. He felt good. Better than he had for most of the day. It was good to have something to do. Actually, now that they had a few results, he couldn't wait to find out the ghost's last resting-place and get rid of it. Planning the salt and burn distracted him from thinking of cigarettes, but it was still bad enough. He just hoped the drugs would help him getting through the next days.

He looked up when a family entered the diner. A small boy about five years old stopped in his tracks and stared at Sam. Dean hated those kids. But he hated the parents even more who yanked their brats away whispering "you don't stare" loud enough for every one to hear while they didn't even dare to give Sam as much as a side glance. But the kid followed his parents to a booth around the corner and Dean sighed a sigh of relief.

He dug into his meal with great appetite. He savored the taste of his steak wondering if it was the lack of nicotine that made him so hungry. With his knife he motioned over to Sam's right hand. "You need help there?" he mumbled around his full mouth.

"Cutting my meat?" Sam gave him a look between amusement and annoyance. "Thank you, I'm still able to do that." He leaned to Jess. "If I let him have his way I'll end up being baby fed by my over-protective big brother."

"It's not that that I've never done it before," Dean grinned. "Mum allowed me to feed you once. She had to put us both into the bath tub afterwards."

Sam smiled. He always loved it when Dean shared the few memories he had of their mother and their life before the fire. "Yeah, but I'm not a baby anymore. And a sprained wrist doesn't make me a quadriplegic."

"Barely. Isn't there a name for someone with three lame limbs? Tripleplegic or something like that?"

Sam raised his eyebrows. "I'm impressed you can come up with such difficult words."

Dean grinned broadly. "I know you're the smart-ass in the family, but I'm not as dumb as you may think."

"When your brain isn't dazed by smoke, that is."

"I could outsmart you every day if I didn't have to keep a full body functioning. If I could sit the whole day on my lazy ass I could save all my strength for the thinking process ,too."

"Jerk." Sam threw a fry at Dean who caught it midair and popped it into his mouth.

"Gimp."

Jess shook her head. "If I didn't know you I'd swear you're both going to slice each other's throats with these knives every minute now. You know that you're insulting each other here?"

"Yeah," Dean and Sam said unisono, both grinning at Jess.

"And if somebody else did this…?"

"He wouldn't live long enough to regret it," Dean stated. He knew for a fact that Sam would be at the throat of everyone who dared to insult his big brother's intelligence and he had already done so with people who had treated Sam like an idiot because he was sitting in a wheelchair.

Their friendly banter was interrupted when the waiter came to get their empty plates. They were ready to go when the little boy from before showed up again. He just stood there three feet away from Sam and stared at the wheelchair. While Dean eyed him suspiciously, Sam turned to him and smiled. "Hey."

The boy looked at him. "What is this?"

"That's a wheelchair."

"What is it for?"

"It helps me get around."

"You don't have to walk?"

"Exactly."

"Wow. That's cool. Can I touch it?"

Even Dean had to laugh at the boy's obvious awe as he admired his brother's chair like it was a new kind of soapbox.

Just as the boy tentatively touched the handrim his mother showed up. "Hey David, what are you doing?" She smiled at Sam. "Is he bothering you?"

Sam shook his head. "Not at all."

David turned to his mother. "This is a wheelchair, mom. I want one, too."

"Oh yeah?" His mother laughed. "I'm glad you don't need one, honey."

"But it's so cool."

"Still, I don't think you can get one. They are pretty expensive." She looked at Sam, still smiling. "Come on, your fries are ready. Say good-bye and I'll tell you what you need a wheelchair for while you eat, okay?"

"Okay." The boy pouted.

Sam raised his eyebrows. "You want go for a ride?"

The boy's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. "You serious?"

"Yeah, if your mom is okay with it." Sam looked at the young woman who nodded.

Dean shot Sam a glance, silently asking if he was up to it and Sam told him "yes I am" with as much as a blink of his eyes. Dean lifted the boy onto Sam's lap. "Here you go, young man. Hold on, Sammy here is a speeder."

Happily, David bounced on Sam's lap when Sam grabbed the handrims and moved forward. The people around them stopped eating and smiled at them. For once Sam didn't mind their glances. He was enjoying the situation. It was fun. "Hold on," he told the boy. "We're doing a wheelie." He tilted the wheelchair back and balanced it on its rear wheels. David whooped with joy and began to hop up and down even more. "Just sit still," Sam hurried to add. "Otherwise the wheelie will turn into a backflip and I'm not too keen on that."

The boy nodded and sat on Sam's lap as good as a lamb while Sam brought him to his table still balancing on the rear wheels.

"Daddy, look what I'm doing," David shouted when they went around the corner. His father smiled. " I was wondering what all the noise was about." He took the boy from Sam's lap. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Sam smiled at the boy. "Bye David. Take care of you."

* * *

Dean chuckled when he helped Sam into the Impala. "A wheelie, dude?"

"Yeah, you know it's called that."

"But don't start whining about your wrist now."

"Didn't it hurt?" Jess asked.

"A little. But it was worth it. The boy was priceless."

Dean got into the driver's seat. "He really was. And you made his day." Dean's grin fell when he looked at Sam. "Oh shit."

Sam started. "What is it?" His glance followed Dean's eyes. "Shit."

Jess leaned forward in alarm. "What is it?"

"All that bouncing pulled his stitches." Dean stared at the dark stain on Sam's jeans, mentally kicking himself for not thinking of Sam's injury. That he couldn't feel it didn't mean it wasn't there.

Jess looked at them with wide eyes. "How bad is it?"

Dean met Sam's eyes and shrugged. "I can't tell. Let's get back to the motel and patch you up."

* * *

By the time they arrived Sam's cheeks were flushed and his eyes were bright. "You've got a temperature," Dean stated as he helped Sam out of the car. He handed Jess the keys. "Would you mind?" Dean saw her casting a worried glance at Sam, but she said nothing as she hurried to open the door to their motel room.

Dean grunted as he lifted his brother who seemed barely able to hold on to Dean's neck. The kid looked as tired as he felt. The restless night was beginning to take its toll on Dean as well. Along with helping Sam all the time. Of course he would help Sam as best as he could but he admitted to himself that it got on his nerves to constantly watch out if the kid needed help just because Sam wouldn't ask. Dean hated to admit it, but he wasn't his usual physically strong self today. He longed for a rest. But that would have to wait.

Jess accompanied them to their room. "I hate to leave you," she said, "but I promised my mom to go shopping with her this afternoon. She needs some distraction."

"That's alright," Dean nodded. "Sammy here is taking a nap anyway."

Sam jerked his head up to meet Dean's eyes, a sudden anger flaring at his brother's patronizing tone of voice. Dean, however, didn't even notice.

Jess bent forward to kiss Sam slightly on the cheek. "Try to get some rest, honey," she smiled. "I'll see you in a few hours."

* * *

Dean gave Sam two pills of Tylenol for the pain and to reduce the fever and then helped him out of his shirt and jeans. "It doesn't look so bad," he observed after unwrapping the bandage on his brother's thigh and assessing the damage. "Only two of the stitches are torn. It seems to be infected a bit, though. Maybe that's what what's causing your fever."

"I'm not blind, Dean, I can see it myself," Sam said in a gruff tone of voice.

Dean frowned at him, taking in his brother's pained expression. He could tell that the little ride Sam had done with the boy had taken its toll. Sam was still sore all over and playing hero for the boy certainly hadn't helped.

Sam met Dean's inquiring eyes. "Sorry. Didn't mean to snap at you." He rubbed his tired eyes with his left hand.

"It's okay." Dean got up and reached for Sam's stained pants to put them in the laundry bag.

"Could you take my cell out?" Sam asked wearily. "It doesn't need washing yet."

Dean allowed himself a small smile as he fished the cell phone out of the pocket and laid it on the table before stuffing the clothes away. As he went to get the first aid kit, Sam looked up. "You think I could take a shower first?"

Sam almost winced as he heard his own words. Since when did he have to ask Dean for permission to take a shower? It was ridiculous how he was allowing his brother to take control. He felt dirty and sweaty and the wound on his thigh didn't look so bad. It already had stopped bleeding. So he would just ignore Dean's concerned face and clean himself up.

Dean noticed the stubborn determination in Sam's eyes and nodded wearily. "Yeah, okay. Just let me help you."

Sam sighed when Dean kneeled down beside him and unwrapped the bandage on his wrist. "I guess you're not going to let me do anything on my own?"

Dean wanted to ease Sam's visible frustration with a joke, but a sudden coughing fit prevented him from doing so. So he only shook his head and, still coughing, wheeled Sam, whose expression had gone from stubbornness to worry within an instant, to the bathroom.

* * *

Half an hour later Sam was finally lying on his bed, his cheeks still slightly flushed. However, he wasn't sure if it was from the low fever he was developing or from the embarrassment of allowing Dean to help him in the shower. Propped up on his elbows, he silently watched Dean stitching up the wound in his leg and applying an antibiotic cream to fight the infection.

After finishing with Sam's thigh, Dean took another fresh bandage out of the first aid kid. "Your wrist is quite swollen," he stated as he took Sam's hand.

Sam closed his eyes. He could tell from the pain. He knew he should give the wrist plenty of rest but that just wasn't possible. It was bad enough that he couldn't bend it, which meant he couldn't get in and out of the wheelchair without help but he was stubbornly set on doing as much on his own as possible.

"Turn over," Dean ordered when he was finished with Sam's wrist.

"Why?"

"So I can have a look at your other injuries. Don't," Dean raised a hand and his voice when Sam opened his mouth to protest. "Please don't. We've had this discussion already. And I'm not feeling well enough to have it again. I'm going to have a look at your back and that's it."

Sam looked at his brother's face and instantly felt guilty. Why hadn't he noticed the worn out look in Dean's eyes? "Cravings?" he asked simply.

The muscles in Dean's jaw clenched, but he didn't answer. He only held out his hand, offering Sam to help turn him over and sighing, Sam gave in and once again allowed his big brother to help him.

There was a moment of silence then Sam heard Dean taking a deep breath.

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven…"

"What're you doing?" Sam asked with irritation.

"Counting the different colors on your back. Light orange, dark orange, yellow, purple, blue, one, two, three, four different shades of green, oh wait, this one is turquoise."

Sam couldn't help but laugh, the growing tension between them suddenly gone. "Oh shut up, you jerk."

"That chick really did a number on you." Dean applied a salve to Sam's back and gently rubbed it in. "I could bandage it, you know. That way the chair's backrest wouldn't press against it all the time."

"Nah, I'm okay."

Dean shrugged and turned Sam over again. "As you wish, little brother." As he took care of Sam's other bruises, he casually said: "You know, Sam, I was thinking about the X-rays Maureen suggested."

Sam started at Dean's preoccupied tone of voice. "No."

"Why not? It's just to be safe."

"I said no."

"What's the matter with you?" Dean frowned. "Better to be safe than sorry."

"I can't afford getting a cast. I wouldn't be able to use my right hand for weeks."

Dean snorted, not knowing whether to laugh or get angry. "And here I was thinking you were supposed to be the smart one. Your injury won't just go away by ignoring it. If you need a cast, we'll deal with it."

Sam sighed. "Yeah, sure. Dean, please believe me when I say it's not so bad. Hell, you had bruised wrists yourself and no one ever made such a fuss about it."

"That was different."

"Because I'm the gimp?" Sam was bristling.

"Yes, because you're the gimp." Dean hissed in his face. His nerves were on edge and he just had enough of Sam's bitching. Without listening to his protesting voice, he rolled his brother over to one side so Sam wouldn't have to lie on his back, straightened his legs and pulled the blanket over him. "Get some sleep, Sammy."

* * *

Dean paced the room. His head was about to explode. He had tried to lie down and sleep as well, but after five minutes of tossing around he knew it was futile. At the same time his eyes ached from tiredness, and suppressing the threatening coughing fits in order to not wake Sam wasn't helping his mood either. He considered switching on the TV but that was another thing he couldn't do if he wanted to avoid waking his brother who at least was sleeping soundly. Dean stared at his hands which had started shaking. "Fuck," he murmured quietly. "I thought these damn pills were supposed to help." Sighing, he had to admit to himself that the one pill he had taken this morning could by no means heal all the damage he had subjected his body to over the years. He would still have to deal with his cravings for a while. He went to the bathroom just to realize that he didn't even know why he had gone there. Splashing his face with cold water, he thought of the packs of cigarettes that were still in the Impala. Grabbing a towel to rub his face, he couldn't get the image out of his head. Just one single cigarette to stop the cravings. Sam would never know about it. No one would notice and he would be able to deal with the cravings. Dean looked in the mirror, noticing his bloodshot eyes. So this was all that was needed. One day without a smoke and it left him almost begging. "You're pathetic, Winchester," he accused his reflection. "So go cheat. You think you'll feel better then?" Dean tossed the towel into the sink, got back to the room and resumed his restless pacing.

* * *

The woman was pretty. Sam almost smiled in his sleep. Briefly, he wondered why he would dream of a foreign woman but he didn't mind. Silky brown hair was flowing over her back and the blue eyes were full of love when she looked at him. "I'll fetch us a good bottle of wine and then we'll have ourselves a beautiful evening." Her smile was promising as she opened the door that led to the basement. Suddenly the smile froze and was replaced by an expression of sheer terror. He saw her stumble and leaped to his feet in an instant. But he was too far away. Helplessly, he watched how she missed the first step and fell headfirst down the stairs, tumbling over two times before she ended up at the bottom step, her head at an odd angle with blue eyes staring lifelessly up at him.

"Nooooo!" Sam yelled, his eyes snapping open. Instinctively, he tried to sit up and cried out as his wrist protested against the strain.

"Sam." He felt his brother's comforting hands on his shoulders. "Calm down. What is it? Nightmare?"

Sam relaxed into the pillow, closing his eyes. "Yeah, something like that. I'm not sure it was a nightmare though."

"A vision?" Dean frowned, sitting down on the edge of the bed. They still didn't know what triggered those weird images in Sam's head but had accepted that it would happen once in a while. This was the second one within a few days, though, and that was new.

"I don't know." Sam sniffed. "It started like a dream. There was this girl…"

"A girl?" Dean chuckled. "Dude, that's so not a vision."

"She fell down the stairs and ended up with a broken neck."

"Oh." Dean ran his hand through his hair. "You think it's her?"

"I guess. It was different this time. It was like I was watching her through Frederic's eyes. I even felt myself getting to my feet."

"That's weird."

"Not to say disturbing."

"Did you recognize the surroundings?"

"No, but that doesn't mean anything. The house was rebuilt. It might look completely different now." Sam propped himself up on his elbows, frowning.

"What?"

"Something's bothering me." Sam looked up at his brother. "I have a feeling that I've been missing something but I can't pinpoint it. I still think it's important."

Dean shrugged dismissively. "Doesn't matter. We're going to take care of the lady tonight."

"I hope so. You know that it means searching the entries of at least four or five years for their names? Maybe we'll get more than one hit. Frederic isn't an uncommon name and the initials M.A. are not very rare either."

"Maybe Maureen will remember their last name when she hears it."

"Could be." Using only his left hand, Sam pushed himself into a sitting position. "Would you mind getting me some clothes?"

Dean nodded and absentmindedly got up. With his thoughts still on Sam's dream, or vision, he took a fresh shirt, socks and a pair of jeans from Sam's closet. He was about to hand the clothes to his brother when he stopped in his tracks, frowning. "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why d'you need clothes?"

Sam gave him an exasperated look. "What d'you think?"

"You're not getting up now, Sam." Dean tossed the clothes over onto his own bed. "You slept for barely half an hour. We agreed that you were going to get some rest"

"I can't go back to sleep. The fever is gone, I'm feeling fine."

Dean sighed. He was tired of having this discussion with Sam over and over again. "Sam, just for once be reasonable. I just re-stitched your wound and the cut is still fairly deep. Just because you can't feel it doesn't mean it isn't there." Dean felt like talking to a five-year-old and from Sam's expression his brother felt the same way. But if he acted like a child he didn't deserve better. "That's a severe injury, Sam and your body has to deal with it, whether you can feel it or not. You need plenty of rest."

Sam's jaw tightened and suddenly Dean had the impression that this argument wasn't about injuries. "My leg gets enough rest. I'm not aggravating the wound by walking around, Dean. I'm just sitting in a wheelchair without even moving my legs, for crying out loud. I can't get any more rest by lying in bed, can I?"

Rubbing his temples to ease the headache, Dean tried to calm down, but his anger at Sam's illogical behavior was getting the better of him. He wouldn't let the kid get away with it. "Under normal circumstances someone with a stab wound like this would have to stay in bed for days. And I guess most people would be happy to do so because of the pain. You were up and about the whole morning, even pulling stunts with a little boy bouncing around on your injured leg. For heaven's sake, Sam, this is not the moment to prove that you're an independent person."

Sam's eyes had narrowed. "What do you mean, 'under normal circumstances'?"

Dean sucked air through his teeth. This just couldn't be true. Had Sam heard any of what he had said? "Someone who's…" he began.

"Not a cripple?" Sam hissed, cutting him short.

Suddenly Dean had enough of it. "Yeah, right." He stared down at Sam. "You're staying in bed. End of discussion."

Sam ignored him, leaning over to grab his wheelchair.

"No, you don't." Dean was at his side in one stride and gave the wheelchair an angry push that sent it almost to the wall.

Sam looked at him, his eyes flashing. "Give it back," he ordered.

Dean stared back. "No."

For a few seconds the brothers stared at each other, their fury almost palpable. Sam clenched his fingers around the sheets as he looked up at his brother, seething when he thought of what Dean had just done to him.

Suddenly, Dean turned around and grabbed his keys. He had to get out of here.

"Dean," Sam yelled. "Don't you dare leave now."

Dean just shrugged, making his way to the door.

"You can't leave me sitting here." Sam's voice almost cracked.

"No? Watch me!" Dean cast an infuriated look at his brother and slammed the door shut behind him so vehemently that the hinges all but vibrated.


	11. Chapter 11

_My awesome beta Gabi wrote this chapter as well, along with the next one too and I will take over again for the epilouge. She wrote an amazing chapter and I'm sure you all will enjoy it :) Again, if you would like to send her a message, her username on this site is gabi2305. Enjoy!_

* * *

Dean sped through the streets. He didn't mind if the police gave him a ticket, he just had to get away from his brother. To hell with Sam. What was the little shit thinking? He was only worried about his well-being and Sam appreciated none of it. He should leave him lying there on the bed for the whole day.

Dean slowed down when he reached the beach and spontaneously pulled into the parking lot. Leaning over the steering wheel, he tried to calm down his blind rage. It just wasn't normal that he was so furious. And when the hell had he started thinking of Sam as a little shit? That just wasn't right. He'd never thought of him like that. Out of the blue, an image sprang to his mind. The image of a boy helplessly lying in the wet grass on a cold morning, almost frozen to death. He didn't know why he suddenly remembered this scene of all things, but it cooled him down within an instant. It had been horrible to find his little friend like that. But it had also been the day they found out that Sam was his brother. Dean smiled when a warm feeling spread inside him. His brother could be a pain in the ass but he truly loved him and the anger he had experienced before was nothing but irrational. And why had he been so angry? Because Sam refused to stay in bed and wanted to get up? Was that a reason to go all bananas on the poor kid? To be honest he would have done the same in Sam's place. They both weren't the type to lie in bed during the day.

Dean sighed deeply. Could he blame his smoking deprivation for his erratic behavior? He knew it would be hard to stop smoking but no one had told him he would end up hurting his brother. And he _had_ hurt him. Gosh, he'd pushed Sam's wheelchair well out of his reach; he might as well have tied Sam to the bed. No wonder the guy had been furious. Under normal circumstances Sam would just lower his oversized frame to the ground, drag himself over to the wheelchair and get back in. But with his sprained wrist Sam was really handicapped and with this action, Dean certainly had rubbed it in full force.

He glanced at his shaking hands. His headache was fading a bit, but his whole body was aching for a cigarette. Dean's eyes were magically attracted by the plastic bag that still lay on the backseat and which contained at least five packs of cigarettes, one of them already opened. Sam would never notice if he snatched a cigarette out of it. Just one to lessen his withdrawal symptoms. Only one cigarette so that he could deal with the cravings and the mood swings. One cigarette to make the thought of stopping smoking a little more tolerable. At the very least, he needed one to calm his nerves enough to deal with Sam's constant bitching.

Dean grabbed the bag and rummaged for the open pack. When he found it, he shook a cigarette out and put it in his mouth. He had already flicked on the lighter when he stopped. Sam would smell the smoke in the car. It was better to get outside. He stuffed the pack in his pocket and got out.

Scuffling through the sand, he felt his anxiety actually subsiding. It was beautiful here. The sea was murmuring appeasingly and the sun warmed him up. He sat down on a bench, watching the scenery. A few teenage girls sat on their towels about thirty feet away from him, giggling and glancing at him. He winked at them and smiled when they blushed and quickly looked away, only to glance furtively at him again.

Dean took his cigarettes out and turned the pack in his hand. He had promised Sam to stop and he would do so but he needed a smoke right now. It would help him and Sam would never know. Dean sniffed at the cigarette, relishing the flavor. Just when he put it in his mouth another image popped up in his mind, so obtrusively he couldn't get rid of it. The image of Sam lying on the floor with a knife sticking out of his thigh. That had happened because of his smoking habit. Dean closed his eyes when he relived those dreadful minutes. It wasn't about Sam noticing if he smoked a cigarette now. It was about him. Did he really believe that it would only be this one? Could he really be pathetic enough to break his promise to himself after just one day? He tried to picture Sam's face when his brother realized that Dean could never break his bad habit and the image sent a chill down his spine. He couldn't do that to Sam. He couldn't do that to himself. Dean Winchester was better than that.

Dean took the cigarette out of his mouth and threw it in the sand. The pack followed and then Dean's heel came crashing down on it full force.

He actually felt better when he picked up the remains to throw them into the garbage can beside the bench. I did it, Sam, he thought, I can do it, I can resist. Dean smiled to himself as he pictured Sam's face again, this time after he'd broken the habit. Sam would be so proud.

Thinking of Sam, Dean's sudden elation faded. He had to go back and look after him. The poor boy was still stuck in his bed. Dean grabbed his cell phone to call Sam only to remember that Sam couldn't reach his phone that would still be lying on the table. So there was no respite. He had to go back and face Sam's rage. Dean sighed and closed his eyes. He would do so, but he wanted to relish another minute here on the beach, with the sun shining on his face and the feeling that he had actually achieved a big progress. He didn't even realize that his head lolled to one side when he dozed off.

* * *

Jess smiled as she walked over to the boys' room. She just had spent two relaxing hours with her mother. They hadn't talked about the ghost since it was off-limits to even mention it. But her mother's anxious tension that had been evident since the ghost's attack had eventually eased a bit which had resulted in a few new tops and a pair of jeans for Jess.

She knocked on the door and frowned when there was no response. Scanning the parking lot, she noticed that the Impala was gone. Had the boys gone to do research without her? Jess felt disappointed, but then she heard rustling inside the room. Frowning, she knocked again. "Hey, anybody home?"

There was silence for a few seconds, but then she heard Sam's strained voice. "I can't answer the door, Jess. Just come back later."

Jess stared at the closed door, trying to make sense of Sam's statement. He was here but the Impala wasn't? That meant Dean was gone. But why couldn't Sam open the door? She stuck her hands into the pockets of her jacket when she felt an unfamiliar object in her right pocket. Frowning, she took it out and then smiled. It was the key to the boys' room that she hat pocketed earlier and had simply forgotten to give it back to Dean when he had wheeled Sam inside the room. Sometimes forgetfulness just comes in handy, she mused when she opened the door and peered inside.

"Sam?" she asked tentatively. "I still had your key."

Her face fell when she spotted Sam lying on his bed. She never had seen him like this. The covers lay in a crumpled heap beneath the bed, Sam's legs were bent at an odd angle, his hair was disheveled and there was undisguised fury in his eyes.

Jess stood still for a moment, trying to understand what was going on when she saw Sam's wheelchair standing next to the wall. She had no clue how it had gotten there but she was sure that it was the reason why Sam was angry. What he didn't need now, however, was her sympathy. She went over and kneeled down on the discarded covers. "Hold this expression, Sam. Maybe you don't need to burn the ghost's remains. You could easily scare her away by pulling that kind of face."

Sam looked at her and she could see his anger deflating a bit. Leaning forward, she kissed him gently. "What happened?"

Sam cast a glance at his wheelchair. "Dean," he just said.

"Dean put the wheelchair out of your reach? I don't believe that."

"He did. Would you mind giving me my clothes? They're over there on Dean's bed."

"Sure." Jess let her finger trail down Sam's chest until it reached the hem of his boxers. "Although I have to say I like you this way."

A small smile played around the corners of Sam's mouth but his anger flared again at the thought of having to ask Jess for help now. "I hate him," he said with a passion.

"That was not the answer I was expecting," Jess said lightly when she got up and fetched Sam's clothes. "I don't know what happened here, but I'm sure Dean is just worried. I'd love to have a big brother watching out for me."

"Oh you can have him," Sam grumbled as he pushed his legs into his jeans. "Special offer today."

Jess didn't know whether to laugh or not. Sam was just too mad at Dean. "You need some help with that?" she asked tentatively.

"No, I don't," Sam all but yelled.

Jess took a step back, taken aback. She didn't know how to react to Sam's outburst.

Sam sighed and visibly tried to calm down. He reached out and Jess took his hand, holding it against her cheek.

"Look, Jess, I'm sorry I snapped at you. It's just that every other sentence out of you or Dean seems to be whether I need help. It makes me feel so damn small." He sniffed miserably, closing his eyes in shame for a little moment. "I tried to get out of this damn bed, but I can't even do that properly with this fucked up hand."

Jess smiled sympathetically. "It sucks, doesn't it?"

Sam grimaced. "Being a cripple? Sometimes. Being at Dean's mercy? Always."

"Poor baby." Jess saw the anger in Sam's eyes slowly fading away. "So I guess you would rather be with your foster parents than with Dean?"

"Hell no!" Sam gaped at her with wide eyes. He laid back to pull his jeans over his hips. "I wouldn't know what to do without Dean. I'm aware of that but today he just drove me crazy with his over-protectiveness. I know he means well, but if I let him have his way he'd wrap me in cotton and put me to bed for the whole week." He grabbed his shirt. "Not that I could do anything to help it today," he added sourly.

Jess fetched the wheelchair. "You know, there's one simple solution to all of this." She grabbed Sam's legs and lowered them to the floor.

"Oh yeah?" Sam shot her an inquiring glance and laid his right arm over Jess's shoulder. Bracing his left palm against the bed frame, he allowed her to support his weight as he got into the wheelchair.

Jess nodded, reaching for Sam's shoes. "Give Dean a pack of cigarettes and everything will be back to normal."

Sam's mouth fell open as he thought about Jess's words. She was right. Dean had always been a downright mother-hen when it came to protecting him, but he never would go as far as to push his wheelchair away and leave him absolutely helplessly lying on the bed. He was behaving out of character because the smoking deprivation was making him jittery and short-tempered. Turning his head to the window, Sam guiltily remembered what he had promised to himself just a few hours ago; that he wouldn't hold Dean responsible for his actions or words. And now he had done just that. He had kept complaining about being stuck in bed for only two hours while Dean had had to deal with his cravings the whole time. No wonder his brother was fed up with his constant whining. Sam suddenly felt bad.

"Don't worry." Jess smiled at him. Sam had been so deep in thought that he hadn't even noticed how she had slipped his shoes onto his feet and tied the laces, so she could pretty much imagine what he was thinking about. "You'll make up. A stupid little fight isn't able to drive a wedge between you. You two get along two well for that."

Sam gave her a grateful smile. He knew she was right.

Jess got up, chuckling at the surprised look on Sam's face when he realized that he had his shoes on. "You want to hear some good news for a change?"

"Course."

"I told my parents about our talk with Maureen and they told me that they got an invitation to Maureen's birthday party in spring. She happened to turn fifty. They couldn't make it, though, because it's a four hours drive from our home, but my mother is quite sure it was in May."

"That's great, Jess. That helps a lot."

"I hope so, because my parents are considering to cut their summer vacation short and go back home instead of waiting for the ghost to be banished. And I don't want to leave." She bent down and kissed Sam. "For obvious reasons," she smiled. "So what are we doing now? Waiting for Dean?"

Sam shook his head. "No, let's go to the civil registry. Maybe we can find out about Frederic and his wife. And I have to tell you another weird thing about me."

"Which would be?"

"Visions." Sam saw Jess's face fall for a moment but he had the feeling that when it came to him, absolutely nothing could surprise her any more.

* * *

The civil registry office was part of the civil council which fortunately had disabled access and an elevator. A friendly secretary listened to their request to be allowed to have a look at the marriage register of the early 60s and frowned. "The old records are still in paper form. I'll have someone bring the folios to you. Are you looking for an exact date? These things are pretty heavy."

"Our best shot is spring '61," Sam explained. "We'll start with that one."

The secretary grabbed the phone. "Just a minute, please."

A few minutes later a young woman appeared with a heavy book under her arm. Sam's friendly smile fell when he saw her and she started badly, looking around if it was really them who needed her services.

"Hey Bridget," Sam said quietly.

"Um, hey Sam." Bridget cast her eyes down. "You need the marriage register of 1961?"

"Actually, we do." Sam had no intentions of relieving her of her embarrassment and discomfort, the memory of their so-called date still vivid in his mind. When Bridget looked at them her face was flushed. She pointed to a table at the wall. "You can sit down over there." She flinched at her choice of words and the flush turned beet red. "Um, I mean…"

Finally, Sam took pity on her. "It's okay, Bridget. There's nothing wrong with talking to me like to everyone else." He took the book from her hands and laid it in his lap. When he wheeled over to the table he could feel Bridget's stare on his back. Suddenly, he felt Jess's hand on his shoulder.

"You know her?" she asked.

Sam smiled. "Why? Are you jealous?"

"She's pretty."

Sam stopped to turn his head and cast a glance at Bridget who still stood at the same spot. "Yeah, she sure is. I never noticed before, though. And by the way, you're much prettier."

"Thanks." Jess smiled fondly. "How do you know her?"

Sam snorted. "We had a date."

"A date?" Jess raised her eyebrows, then her jaw fell open when realization dawned on her. "That's the girl who treated you so badly?" She looked like she was about to go back and punch her straight in the face.

Sam took her hand. "It's okay, Jess. Don't bother. Let's have a look at this." He opened the book and searched the entries that dated from May 1961. "May seems to be a popular month to get married," he stated.

"What about this one?" Jess's finger traced the faded words. "May, 10th, Frederic Arthur Foreman and Madeleine Doreen Penderton."

"Hm," Sam frowned. "Could be, but her initials don't match."

"Maureen told us she was five years old then. Perhaps she's mistaken."

"Perhaps she's not." Sam's face lit up. "Here, May, 23rd. Frederic Mercer marries Martha Ann Langley. That's them."

Jess hugged him. "That's great, Sam. I'm so proud of you."

"That was easy." Sam closed the book. "Now we have to find the right graveyard, but that shouldn't be a problem."

Jess grew excited. "And then we go out tonight and dig up the grave and salt and burn Martha Ann's remains?"

"We?" Sam inquired amused.

"You're not planning on going without me, are you?"

"Are you going to tell your parents about it?"

"Telling my parents that I'm planning on going with you to a graveyard in the middle of the night to dig up a corpse and salt and burn it? I don't think so." Jess grabbed the book and walked over to the counter, thanking the friendly secretary for her help as she gave it back.

Just as they turned towards the exit they spotted Bridget nearby. Jess lifted her chin and went over to her. Sam followed her quickly. He didn't have friendly feelings for Bridget, but he wouldn't let Jess hit her. Rummaging in a filing cabinet, Bridget stood with her back to them, pretending not to notice their approach, but Jess tapped her on the shoulder. "You're Bridget?" she enquired. When Bridget reluctantly turned around, Jess smiled at her broadly. "I wanted to thank you."

Bridget's face fell. "Thank me? Why?"

"Only because you were stupid enough to ditch Sam I got the opportunity to get to know one of the most handsome men in this world. You had your chance and I'm so glad you didn't take it. You just don't know what you missed. You have no idea how exciting life can be around him. So thank you."

Sam couldn't help but give Jess his best smile and when Bridget eventually cast a glance at him she actually seemed to see him this time.

* * *

Dean awoke with a start. His face was burning and his neck was hurting from the unnatural position. Glancing at his watch, he startled even more. He had never intended to fall asleep. And certainly not for so long. He had slept for more than two hours. The girls were gone and it was getting cooler. Dean got up and jogged to his car, cursing himself. He never had intended to leave Sam alone for so long. His brother would tear him a new one and he had every right to do so. Dean didn't even dare to imagine that Sam might have had to use the bathroom during his absence.

Dean made it back to the motel in record time and burst through the door. "Sam, I'm sorry, I fell…" He stopped in his tracks when he realized that he was talking to an empty room. Confused, Dean looked around. Apparently, Sam had made it to his wheelchair and had left. Looking out the window, Dean saw what he had failed to notice before: the pickup was gone. He frowned, worry beginning to set in. Sam couldn't drive with his injured wrist; working the accelerator caused him too much pain. So who was driving? Had Jess come back early?

Dean spotted a piece of paper on the table. It read '_Doing research with Jess"_ in oversized letters. Dean's eyes began to sting. Angry as Sam would be, he had still remembered to let him know where he was and had even been considerate enough to use big block letters so that Dean could read it easily. Dean's heart ached as he thought of his brother. He had to apologize for a lot and he hoped desperately that Sam could forgive him.

* * *

"Dean's back," Jess noticed as she parked the pickup beside the Impala.

"You think he's still pissed at me?" Sam bit his lip.

"Give a yell when he starts tying you to the bed. I'll come for your rescue."

Sam grinned lopsidedly. "You don't take me seriously."

"Nope." Jess got out and set the wheelchair up for Sam. "You're not telling me that you're afraid of Dean, aren't you?"

Sam heaved a deep sigh, laid his arm over Jess's shoulder and hauled himself into his chair. "I was rather unfair to him."

"And he wasn't exactly being fair to you. I'm sure you'll sort it out."

"Yeah, thanks Jess. For everything."

"You're welcome. See you later." Jess placed a kiss on Sam's cheek and left.

Sam grabbed a bag from the backseat and slowly went to their room. Just as he reached the door, it was opened from inside. Trying to gauge his brother's reaction, Sam looked up to meet Dean's eyes, but they were unreadable. Sam's heart sank. Dean was still angry with him. Presumably he was about to get his next dressing-down for getting out of bed and not giving his bruised limbs enough rest.

He went past his brother and put the bag down on the table. "I brought us dinner," he explained.

"What about Jess?" Dean asked noncommittally from behind.

"She's going to a restaurant to have dinner with her parents. She'll come back later for the salt and burn. I promised her we'd take her with us." Still facing the table, Sam held his breath waiting for an answer that didn't come. Eventually, he turned around to face his brother. "Look, Dean…"

Dean cut him short. "I'm sorry, Sammy. What I did was inexcusable and if you want to hit me for it, feel free to do so. It's just that I can't do it myself."

Sam's eyebrows disappeared under his bangs. "Hit you? What the hell are you talking about, Dean? Why would I hit you?"

"I was pretty cruel to you."

"So was I. And I don't have an excuse for snapping at you."

"Me neither."

"You do. I guess those cravings are rather bad, mood swings included. I should have been more understanding."

"Yeah sure," Dean snorted. "Understanding a brother who treated you as mean as this chick Bridget did."

"You didn't, Dean. I know you didn't mean it and that makes the difference."

Biting his lip, Dean slowly nodded, still not entirely convinced. They stood there for a minute just looking at each other, neither of them sure what to do.

Sam suddenly grinned. "What about a big brother bear hug for the bitchy gimp?"

A broad smile spread on Dean's face as he bent down to his brother. "I absolutely hate these chick flick moments," he muttered as he hugged Sam as if his life depended on it. "I'm glad you're no longer pissed at me," he whispered against Sam's shoulder.

"Believe me, Dean, so am I." Sam patted his brother's back with his sound hand. "Come on, your cheeseburger is getting cold."

Dean straightened up and went over to the fridge to fetch two bottles of beer. "So you found our ghost?"

"Yep. Her name is Martha Ann Mercer and we've already found her grave, too."

"That's great." Dean opened the bottles and handed one of them to Sam before he sat down to dig into his burger. "Sorry I didn't help you with the research."

"It's okay. Guess who we met." When Dean only raised his eyebrows, Sam continued. "Looks like Bridget's working at the civil council."

"Bridget? Date Bridget?"

"Yep."

"Awkward."

"Not really. Jess thanked her for ditching me so that she could date me."

"She didn't."

"Yeah. Told her I was one of the most handsome men in the world." Chuckling, Sam waited for Dean's response.

"She definitely needs glasses." He leaned back. "Dude, the girl has style. You think I could ask her for a date?"

"You can try. But I guess she figured out the very first moment she met us who the better man is."

Dean threw a slice of tomato at Sam. "Oh shut up, gimp."

"Jerk." Sam smiled, glad that their relationship was back to normal again.

* * *

The brothers were lying on their beds, watching TV when there was a knock on the door. Dean tensed and his hand shot under his pillow to grab his weapon when he heard Jess's voice. "Hey boys, you in there?" As he opened the door with a soft click, Jess smiled at him. "I hope you're both decent. I have my parents with me."

Dean nodded a welcome to Jen and Dave and let them in. Sam tried to get up when he noticed Jess's parents, but Jen waved an appeasing hand at him. "Please, we're not staying. We just wanted to check on you. Jess told us you had a fever this morning. How're you feeling now?"

"Better," Sam told them, ignoring Dean's snort. "The fever's gone."

"I'm glad to hear it."

"Jess told us about your research," Dave added. "I must say, I'm impressed. It sounds somewhat scientific. You know, more down to earth than being stuck in a horror movie."

Sam laughed, completely understanding the man's feelings. "Yeah, we've made some progress. I hope you can move back into your house by tomorrow morning."

"That would be great," Jen beamed, but Dave frowned.

"What are you planning to do then? Is it just going to go away?"

Jess took his arm and leaned against his shoulder. "Believe me, Daddy, you don't want to know." She smiled sweetly at him. "Do you mind me staying here for the night? I'll be good, I promise."

Dave looked down on her, raising his eyebrows first, but then he smiled. "You're old enough to make your own decisions, Jess." He looked over to Sam. "I trust you to watch out for her."

"I will, sir," Sam replied, surprised at the unexpected display of trust.

When Jess's parents had said their good-bye's and left, Dean turned to Jess. "What was that?" he asked.

Jess turned to him. "What do you mean?"

"Last time you all but rebelled against your dad. And now this polite question to stay here?"

Jess lowered her eyes to the floor. "You know I realized that my father is only worried about me. He tends to overreact sometimes when it comes to my safety, but I guess this over-protectiveness comes naturally when you care for someone and you try to protect them. And I think my father came to the conclusion that he can't be there all the time and that he has to let me make my own decisions, even if he's afraid they could be the wrong ones."

Sam and Dean shared a long glance. "And what brought you to this wise insight?" Dean grinned lopsidedly.

"Oh, I don't know." Jess laughed and sat down beside Sam, pulling off her shoes. "Maybe watching some good friends helped a lot." Carefully she pushed Sam's legs aside so she could place her own legs beside his and then she snuggled against his shoulder. "So, what film are we watching here?"

* * *

The alarm clock started them awake at 1 o' clock. Wearily, Jess looked over at Dean who switched on the light and got up, not bothering to hide a wide yawn.

"I hate night shifts," Sam muttered beside her, causing her to giggle. She got up and disappeared in the bathroom, giving Dean and Sam some space. When she came back, Dean was busy tying Sam's shoelaces just as she had done in the afternoon and she smiled fondly at the brothers. She shivered with anticipation and rubbed her bare arms.

"Oh, crap."

Dean and Sam both looked up.

"I didn't remember to bring a coat. It was so warm this afternoon that I simply forgot about it."

"Not a problem," Sam reassured her. Wheeling over to his drawer, he pulled out one of his hoodies and handed it to Jess. She laughed when she slipped it on, all but drowning in the oversized piece of clothing. Sam rolled up her sleeves and gently kissed her palms when her hands appeared.

"Come on guys," Dean handed Sam his coat. "We have an appointment."

* * *

Dean was sweating profoundly when he dug the grave. Jess had offered to help, but Dean had declined. He had done this more than once and the only one who could actually help him and not get in his way was his dad. Sam was guarding his back and that was all he needed.

Jess started to wander off. It was eerie to be on a graveyard in the middle of the night, but the excitement had faded after half an hour of watching Dean shoveling earth out of the grave. She studied the inscriptions of various tombstones when she heard Sam's low whistle and got back to him.

Sam smiled at her. "Please stay here, Jess. I know watching my brother is extremely boring but I don't want to take the risk."

"What risk?"

"The risk of sweet Martha Ann showing up to check what we're doing with her corpse," Dean explained, panting. He shot Sam a glance with the promise to make him pay for his remark, but Sam remained unimpressed. Dean straightened his back and ran his hand over his sweaty face. "The silence could be deceiving, Jess," he continued. "Sometimes the ghosts notice that there is something happening and they show up to prevent it."

Sam stopped scanning the surroundings for a moment to look at Jess, lifting his hand. "The gun isn't just there so I can feel useful."

Dean snorted when he resumed shoveling. "You'd be useful if you came down here to replace me."

"Not a chance, brother," Sam said, smiling. "The dirty work is your resort." He leaned over to Jess. "That's the bright side of being a cripple. The hard work is always for Dean and Dad."

Jess stroked over his cheek. She knew that he would love to get his hands dirty and digging up the grave beside his brother.

A hard clank drew their attention when Dean's shovel hit the casket. Jess turned away when Dean opened it. She wanted to be here with the boys but she had no intention of looking at a fifty year old corpse.

Sam handed Dean the salt, his alertness never wavering. Maybe Martha Ann was bound to the house she had died in, but then again, maybe she wasn't. He wouldn't let any surprise happen while Dean burned her body.

Dean poured the whole can of salt over the remains of the once pretty woman, added the fuel and flicked the lighter. "Rest in peace," he muttered when he threw it into the grave.

Jess slid on Sam's lap and felt the tension in his muscles ease. Looking into the flames she felt relief wash through her body. It was over.

* * *

"You think we could stop at our house for a moment?" Jess asked as they were heading back to their motel.

"Now?" Dean asked her incredulously.

"You said it would be safe now."

"It is, but it's the middle of the night."

"I know." Jess cast her eyes down. "It's just that I forgot my cell phone this morning. And I have to make a call first thing in the morning. I want to call my boss to ask for a day off. I'm supposed to work today but I don't think I can do that after all the things that happened."

"You can use my cell," Sam suggested.

"Thanks, but I don't know the number. It's in my cell."

"Okay," Dean agreed. "It's not much of a detour."

Five minutes later, they arrived at Jess's place. "It looks so peaceful," she said thoughtfully. "But I have to admit that I feel somewhat reluctant to go inside alone. Would you like to come with me?"

"Of course." Dean tucked his gun into the waistband of his jeans.

Jess watched him wide-eyed. "I thought we got rid of the ghost."

"We did. But it's the first rule of hunting. Always be prepared." Dean helped Sam out of the car and they followed Jess inside.

She looked around and visibly calmed down at the familiar sight. Nothing had been displaced or shattered during their absence. She breathed a sigh of relieve. "I'm sorry about being so jumpy. I didn't now what I was expecting."

"It's okay," Sam reassured her. "Nothing to worry about."

She turned to the stairs. "I guess I forgot my cell in my room. I'll be back in a minute."

"You want me to go with you?" Dean offered, but Jess shook her head.

"I'll manage."

Dean stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jacket as he looked after her. "So, another successful hunt, even without dad's help."

Sam chuckled. "We haven't even told him about it," he realized. "I'm sure he thinks we're spending our days in front of the TV, eating potato chips and burgers all the time."

"Yeah, about time he comes back to get us back on the straight and narrow."

Sam grinned, but didn't answer when he suddenly felt the air grow cold. Incredulous, he looked at Dean, seeing in his eyes that his brother had felt the drop in temperature as well.

"It can't be," Dean muttered.

"Jess," Sam shouted, feeling panic setting in. "Hurry up."

Jess appeared around the corner. "I'm coming, take it easy. No need to yell at me."

She was halfway downstairs when Sam saw the air behind her flicker. Instinctively, he pushed his wheelchair nearer, not bothering to go easy on his wrist. His eyes wide with sheer terror, he watched Jess tripping and tumbling down the stairs with a frightened scream. He stretched out his arms and caught her mid air, his cry of pain mingling with hers as his wrist gave way under the sudden weight and a stab of pain shot up his arm all the way into his shoulder. Shocked to the very core, he saw the ghost standing at the top of the stairs, her blonde hair sticking out from her head like a halo. "Get out of my house," she hissed.

He was still staring at her when a gunshot burst through the air and the ghost disappeared. Sam felt Dean grab the handles of his wheelchair and held on to Jess who was sobbing into his shoulder. His wrist was screaming with pain, but he didn't let go of her as Dean wheeled them out of the house as fast as possible.

Dean didn't stop until they got to the Impala. Letting go of the wheelchair, he leaned against his car. "You okay?" he asked, trembling.

"I think I hurt my ankle," Jess sobbed. "But it isn't so bad." She looked up for the first time, her eyes wide with shock. "I was pushed," she cried out. "Someone pushed me."

"It was her," Dean announced darkly. "How the hell is it possible that the thing is still there? We burnt it."

Sam nodded absentmindedly, something nagging at the back of his mind.

Dean looked at him expectantly. "Maybe something of her still exists. Frederic might have saved a lock of her hair or something like that."

"Possible." Sam shuddered, remembering the ghost. Suddenly, he flinched, almost causing Jess to fall off his lap. "It wasn't her," he whispered, looking at Dean in shock. "It wasn't her, Dean."

Dean was confused. "What're you talking about?"

"It was bugging me the whole time. She was blonde. The girl I dreamt of had brown hair. It wasn't Martha Ann, Dean. We burnt the wrong corpse."

Dean slid down to the ground when realization hit him. "But then who is it?"

Sam shrugged, still stunned at what they had just found out. "His first wife?" he suggested.

"Gloria? You think she died and came back to haunt the house where she used to live?"

"Where her husband cheated on her. Yes, that could very possibly be the case. I mean, who else can it be?"

Jess slowly got up from Sam's lap, looking from one brother to the other. "What are you saying? That it was all for nothing? That we have to burn another corpse?"

"I wish it was this easy." Sam cradled his wrist and winced in pain. "We have no idea where Gloria died and where we can find her remains. Maureen told us she re-married somewhere in the North-East, so I don't have a clue how we could even be able to trace her."

"We're back to square one." Dean said with audible frustration as he got up and looked at Sam.

"We're screwed," Sam added.

Dean regarded his brother, taking in his pained expression and the way he was cradling his hand to his chest. The image of him catching a stumbling Jess came back to his mind and he bit his lip. "You definitely are," he agreed. "You're so having that X-ray taken, Sammy."


	12. Chapter 12

_Hi everyone. This chapter was also written by my co-author and beta Gabi. She did a great job and was able to put our thoughts into writing so smoothly. She wanted to apologize for the chapter taking to long because of the holidays but I'm pretty sure you won't mind because I believe she made the wait worth it. _

_I'm working on the epilogue to this story right now and there will be more in this series_.

* * *

Morning was already dawning when Dean moved his drowsy brother onto his bed and rubbed his own sleepy eyes. What a night, he thought. Sam had downright refused to go to the ER in the middle of the night, but after one look at his rapidly swelling wrist Dean had put his foot down and had told his younger brother to shut up. They hadn't talked much on the way to the hospital. Sam had been in pain, Jess still in shock from her experience and Dean, sleep-deprived and suffering from withdrawal symptoms that had furiously kicked in after the rush of adrenaline had begun to lessen, had to keep them all together. It didn't help that they'd had to wait for Sam for more than an hour on hard plastic chairs and Dean couldn't even jump up and pace the room because Jess had fallen asleep on his shoulder. He had offered her to bring her to the motel while Sam was being treated but she didn't want to leave him. After what seemed to be an eternity they had eventually been allowed to fetch Sam. Dean didn't even have to see the white cast on his hand, one look into his brother's miserable face told him enough. The kid's wrist was broken.

Dean covered his brother with the sheets. Sam was almost out cold from the pain medication he had gotten but he had been aware enough to notice that Dean had to help him in the bathroom and his cheeks were still flushed from embarrassment. Dean carded his fingers through Sam's long hair. "Get used to it, kiddo," he whispered. There was no way Sam could get onto the toilet seat or into the shower without help until his wrist was at least a bit healed.

He looked up when Jess came out of the bathroom. The girl looked exhausted and sad. "I'm so sorry," she whispered, tears rolling down her cheeks.

Dean got up and hugged her. "It's okay, Jess. It's not your fault."

Jess clung to him and began to cry. "Yes, it is," she sobbed. "Why did I have to go into the house? That was stupid."

Dean patted her back, trying to console her. "You had no way of knowing that the ghost was still there. We screwed up, not you."

Jess calmed down a bit. "But it's my fault Sam has to deal with a broken hand now."

Dean brushed a strand of hair out of her teary face. "If Sam hadn't caught you, you could have been the next girl ending up with a broken neck at the foot of the stairs," he told her gently. "Dealing with a broken wrist for a while is a small prize to pay for your life."

Jess buried her face in Dean's already wet shirt. "But it's not just a broken wrist for Sam. He is so strong and independent and now you'll have to do everything for him."

"I know." Dean kept patting Jess's back. He didn't tell her about his own guilty feelings; the unmistakable feeling that he had failed miserably and let his brother down. He had been standing right there, he had seen the ghost appear behind Jess and his brain had just ignored to acknowledge his body's instincts. It had taken an eternity to lift the gun and shoot the damn spirit. Had he been his usual self, he would have done it before that thing had shoved Jess and Sam had been forced to catch her.

Jess straightened her posture. "I'm fine, Dean. Thank you." Wiping the tears from her face, she looked at Sam who was sleeping soundly. "Maybe I should go to my parents' room to give Sam more room."

Dean managed a smile. "He doesn't need more room because his hand is in a cast. And how are you going to explain to your parents why you're coming over this early in the morning?"

Jess smiled. "You may have a point there, Dean." Lying down under the covers, she gently snuggled against Sam's back and went to sleep with a deep sigh.

* * *

She was a beauty with clear blue eyes and blond hair curling over her shoulders, but the expression on her face was anything but pretty as she yelled at him.

He tried to ignore her but she wouldn't let him.

"I know you don't have to work weekends," she accused him. "Who is it this time? Still the red-head with the big ass? Or have you dumped her already?"

He looked up from the couch by the fire-place where he was reading the newspaper, his expression a mixture of annoyance and anger. "Just let it go, Gloria."

"No, I won't." She took a few steps towards him, her hands on her hips in an unrelenting gesture. "Why do you need another chick every other week, Frederic? You're married. To me. What do they have that I don't?"

Frederic neatly folded the newspaper and laid it aside. "You always knew I was a ladies' man." He smirked, but his eyes gave her a genuine warning not to press the matter.

"Is that your excuse?" Gloria was fuming now. "You think I'm just going to tolerate you behaving like a horny dog all the time?"

Frederic's brow furrowed in rage. He clenched his teeth. "There's nothing you can do about it."

With a pained cry Gloria leaped at him and slapped him hard. Frederic grabbed her wrists and pushed her to the floor. She began to sob. "You loved me, Frederic. You swore before God that you will love me until death will us part."

Frederic looked down at her with untamed fury in his eyes. "Actually, that's not a bad idea." He grabbed an iron poker that he had used before to stoke the fire.

Gloria's eyes went wide. "What are you doing, Fred?"

He raised the poker. "I'm going to let death part us."

Gloria screamed and shielded her face with her hands when Frederic brought the poker down on her head again and again until her hair was red with blood and her once beautiful face covered in the grey substance that had once been her brain.

Slowly, Frederic let go of the poker. The anger left his eyes when he realized what he had done. He got on his knees. "I'm sorry, Gloria. I'm so sorry. But why did you always have to push me? Why couldn't you just accept it?" He buried his face in his hands. "Oh God, what have I done?" He looked around and spotted the carpet in front of the fire-place, the carpet where they used to make love years ago when they had just been married. He sighed as he fetched it and wrapped his wife's bloody body into it. Tears were rolling down his face as he dragged her down the stairs to the basement. He put the bundle down in front of a huge cupboard that held all kind of odds and ends and looked around to find the perfect place to lay her remains to rest.

* * *

Jess woke with a start at the loud scream that erupted from Sam's throat. She barely had time to avoid his flailing arm, but before she even had a chance to sit up, Dean was at his brother's side, holding Sam's arms in a firm grip to prevent him from hurting himself.

"Sam!" he called out. "Sam, wake up. It's just a dream, it's okay."

Dean threw a reassuring glance at Jess, who was staring at Sam with wide eyes. Sam was sweating and panting heavily when he finally opened his eyes.

"It's okay, Sam," Dean repeated and helped his brother sit up. "Water," he mouthed to Jess and she hurried to the bathroom. "Nightmare?" Dean asked, soothingly patting Sam's back.

Sam shook his head and looked at his brother with bloodshot eyes that still reflected unmasked panic. Grateful, he accepted the glass of water from Jess, but his hands were shaking so badly that Dean had to help him hold it steady.

Jess slipped behind Sam to support him and Sam leaned back, closing his eyes and taking deep breaths to calm himself. "I know where we have to look for Gloria," he whispered almost inaudibly.

Dean nodded; he had already suspected that Sam had experienced another vision. He shared a look with Jess and they both waited patiently until Sam was ready to continue talking.

When he finally opened his eyes again, Sam looked at Dean. "Frederic killed her and buried the body in the basement."

Jess let out a small cry, but Dean had expected something like that. "That's great." Dean began to grow excited, but then he stopped in his tracks. "I mean it's awful, of course, but now we can finally end this." He eyed his brother carefully. "You okay?"

Sam sniffed. "I just witnessed a murder, Dean, as clearly as if I'd been standing beside them the entire time. But yeah, I'm okay."

"Headache?"

Sam gave his brother a small smile. "I feel like a freight train ran over me. But it'll pass in a few minutes." Instinctively, Sam raised both his hands to rub his eyes, only to have Dean catch his right wrist in midair.

"You want to knock yourself out with that?" Dean asked with a smile.

"Oh yeah, right." Sam glanced sourly at the cast that encircled his wrist and forearm. "I guess I'll have to get used to it."

Jess planted a kiss on Sam's cheek. "So what are we going to do now?"

"Now?" Dean stood and yawned. "Go back to sleep. Then we'll ask your father for permission to dig up his basement." He looked at Sam. "I hope you got a good look at the place where he buried her."

"Jerk," Sam stated as he allowed Jess to help him lie down.

"Gimp," Dean said with affection as he put the covers back over his brother and went back to his own bed, hoping that they would all be able to get a few more hours of rest.

* * *

Sam woke from the aroma of freshly made coffee. Wearily, he opened his eyes and saw Dean standing at his bedside with two mugs of coffee in his hands.

Dean grinned. "I'm amazed that it seems to work every time." He put the mugs on the nightstand and helped Sam sit up and lean against the headboard of his bed.

Sam rubbed his eyes with his left hand. "Where's Jess?"

"She went to break the news to her parents that they have a body in the basement which we're going to burn today. How're you feeling?"

" Not quite as sore than yesterday."

"Your wrist?"

"It's throbbing a little, but it's not too bad."

"Let me check your other injuries."

"Dean!" Sam did his best to sound annoyed, but this time Dean only smiled.

"You won't get any coffee before I'm done. Lean over so I can have a look at your back." Dean pushed Sam's t-shirt up and continued: "You know it doesn't make you less independent if you let me take care of your injuries. This looks okay, though. The bruises are already fading a bit." Dean smiled as he gave Sam's shoulder a small squeeze to let him know that he was about to lean him back against the headboard. "Actually, you were lucky that they didn't notice in the ER that you have a bandage on your thigh. I don't have a clue how we would have explained that."

Sam chuckled and grabbed his steaming mug. "You think it would have contradicted our explanation that I slipped in the bathroom and broke my wrist when I tried to catch my weight?"

"Falling straight into a knife in the process?" Unwrapping the bandage on Sam's thigh, Dean laughed out loud. "I don't think they would've bought it."

Carefully, Sam took a small sip from his coffee. "You seem feeling better yourself," he observed.

"Yeah, I am," Dean admitted. "Maybe these pills are really helping."

"You just had two of them, assuming you already took one today."

Dean nodded. "Maybe it's just the feeling that I can manage to stop. It's a good feeling." Dean grinned at Sam's curious expression. He had no intention of telling his brother how close he had come to smoking again the day before. "And thanks to you we know what to do with our ghost. That feels pretty good, too."

"Hmm." Sam lowered his head and stared into his mug, causing Dean to frown.

"You're still scared because of the vision?"

Sam grimaced. "It was quite intense. But what scares me is the fact that I'm having so many visions these days. The first one was about the yellow-eyed demon and it could've been just a bad dream. But now I keep seeing things from the past and the future like I'm standing beside the people I'm dreaming of. Sometimes I even feel like I'm one of them."

"It was because of your vision that dad reacted as fast as he did and saved Bobby."

"Are you saying these visions are a good thing?"

Dean shrugged. They had often discussed the matter over the years. The only explanation was that the yellow-eyed demon had something to do with Sam's visions. They had agreed that it had to be him who had saved Sam. There was no other way a 6-months-old baby could get out of a burning house on his own and had it been a fireman who had saved him he would have brought Sam to their father instead of dumping him in a street far away from their house. The question why the demon had killed their mother but saved baby Sam still freaked Dean out. He was afraid the demon had plans with Sam, plans that he, Dean, couldn't interfere with. Dean still felt responsible for his brother being paralyzed but he also loved him more than anyone else and he would do everything he could to protect him. But with this demon he might very well bite off more than he could chew and it scared him more than he was willing to admit. Over the past eight years, Sam had experienced a vision every now and then, maybe two or three in a year but this one had been the third within a week. Could it mean that the demon was closing in on them?

Dean realized that Sam was still waiting for an answer. There was a deep frown on his forehead, and a worried expression in his eyes. Dean tried to sound reassuring: "So far they helped us a lot. We'd never have known about Gloria without them."

"True, but Dean, three visions within a week? What's happening to me? Do you think the demon has plans with me? I mean, why would he give me such an ability if it didn't serve his purpose?"

Dean sighed. Why had he even assumed that Sam hadn't thought about why his visions had increased? Sam was smart; if Dean was able to figure out that it could mean the demon was closing in on them, then Sam had certainly figured it out already.

He got his own mug of coffee from the nightstand and sat down in Sam's wheelchair. "Honestly, I don't know Sam. But I guess if that's the case, we'll find out soon enough. There's no point in worrying about it now. We'll deal with it when the time comes. Let's concentrate on Gloria."

Sam smiled. "Thanks, Dean."

"For what?"

"For trying to ease my mind."

"Did it work?"

"A little." Sam snorted into his coffee. "A gimp with premonitions. I'm such a freak."

"Call it unique. And I'm proud of you." Hastily, Dean got up before Sam could react to his unexpected confession. "How about we find something to protect your cast and I get you to the bathroom to get a shower? Let's find out what you can and can't do with your hand."

* * *

Forty minutes later they were sitting at the table, having breakfast. Dean was still in a good mood. He hadn't experienced any cravings this morning and he was thankful for that. Cheering Sam up was hard enough and he didn't need any withdrawal symptoms that made him cranky and bad-tempered. Sam had been shocked when he found out that on top of all the help he needed in the bathroom, he couldn't slip into his pants on his own because he needed to bend his wrist to do so. But at least he was able to handle the wheelchair and Dean was grateful for small favors. He didn't even dare to think about what it would do to Sam's mood and self-esteem if he had to call for someone to push him for every inch he had to go.

Dean eyed his brother suspiciously. It was obvious that something was troubling Sam.

"It'll get better, you know," he tried to reassure him. "Once your hand stops hurting you'll be able to use it more. And in time, you'll learn how to do things without bending the wrist."

"Yeah, I know."

"So what is it?"

Sam didn't dare to meet Dean's eyes. "It's about the hunt. Maybe we should call dad, ask him to come back. He'd be able to give you proper backup."

Dean stopped in his tracks and looked at Sam, silently forcing him to look up. "So'd be you," he stated calmly.

"It's in the basement to begin with."

"So what? I gave you piggy-back rides before." Dean could clearly see that the cast limited Sam more than just in the use of his hand. All the help he needed weighed on his self-confidence, and leaving him out of this hunt would be the worst thing Dean could do. Not that he had even considered it for a moment. "We'll be fine, Sam," he reassured his brother. "Your backup is all I need. It's the first hunt we're doing without dad and I don't plan on running to him whining that we can't do it. We're a good team, you know that."

"I'm just about half as good as you when I'm at my best. How are you going to deal with a vengeful spirit if you have to look after me the whole time?"

Dean got up and whacked Sam over the head. "Stop it, Sam. I'm fed up with your whining. I know it's hard for you and you're frustrated more than I can even imagine. But it won't get better if you let it get you down. We'll deal with it and that's it." He went over to the radio and switched it on, signaling that the discussion was over. But then he couldn't refrain from laughing out loud. "Listen Sam, they're playing our song."

Sam's head hit the table with a thud. "Please Dean, switch it off."

"Why? I thought you liked the Hollies."

"But not this song."

Dean hopped on the counter, cleared his throat and to Sam's horror he began to sing: "But I'm strong, strong enough to carry him."

"Dean, please." Sam covered his ears with his hands, almost knocking himself out with his cast in the process, but Dean only laughed as he started playing air guitar and continued singing with mock soulfulness. "His welfare is of my concern. No burden is he to bear. We'll get there."

Sam searched the table for something to throw at his brother and stop his singing but their plates were the only available things and Sam knew Dean would make him clean up the mess if he threw a plate full of scrambled eggs at him, broken hand or no.

"And the load doesn't weigh me down at all. He ain't heavy, he's my brother."

Eventually, Dean took pity on Sam and hopped from the counter. Sam watched him as he got back to the table. "That's so unfair," he pouted playfully. "You can walk and you can sing and I can do neither."

Dean smirked. "You jealous?"

Sam snorted. "Just next time when you want to entertain me, pick another song, would'ya?"

"It's a classic, Sam. I don't get why you don't like it."

"Isn't it obvious?"

"Not to me. It's like they wrote it especially for us. Except for the fact that you are heavy."

"But you still want to drag me to the Moore's basement?"

"I'm not going there without you."

"Maybe she won't even show up."

"You think so?"

Sam shrugged. "So far she's only come when it was dark."

"But there's no reason why she should be bound to the night, is there?"

"No. I don't think we'll have a peaceful salt and burn there. Maybe we can teach Jess how to handle a gun."

"She's not gonna go with us," Dean said determined.

"I don't like the idea either, but she can help us."

Dean cleared his plate. "She's the reason the spirit made its appearance in the first place. Maybe we'll have a few precious minutes more before Gloria notices our presence."

"You think?"

"Not really. But I won't put her in danger. Dave would skin us alive if anything happened to her."

Sam nodded. "You have a point there."

Dean got up. "I'm going to break the good news to her. We'll meet outside in about ten minutes, okay?"

"I'm going with you."

"No, you're not. She'd talk you into letting her go with us within ten seconds. Besides, it's your turn to clear the table. And don't tell me you're too helpless to do it because I know you ain't."

With that Dean left a baffled Sam behind.

Sam snorted but then a smile spread on his face as he put the empty plates on his lap. Dean was right. There were still a lot of things he could do. And taking care of his daily chores as well as he could was one thing he could do to prove his independence. Maybe he could even do the washing up. It should be possible to wash two plates, some cutlery and a frying pan single-handedly.

* * *

Resting his forearms on his thighs, Sam looked down the stairs where Dean had just disappeared. He wasn't really convinced that they were doing the right thing. On their way to the Moore's residence he had once more suggested to wait until their father came back, but Dean wouldn't have it. He was more than confident that Sam could give him proper backup. Sam appreciated what Dean was trying to do for him, but he still doubted his ability to help with this hunt. He couldn't even hold a gun in his right hand, how the hell was he supposed to fend off a vengeful spirit? He was glad that Jess had eventually given in and promised to stay at the motel, so at least he wouldn't have to worry about her safety.

They had all been waiting outside when he had left their room. Dean, Jess and her parents. Dave and Jen wanted to thank him for saving their daughter from a real bad fall down the stairs; Jen even kissed him on his cheek. Jess, on the other hand, did nothing of the sort. She was angry with Dean and tried to talk Sam into letting her go with them. But Sam agreed with Dean that it was too dangerous for her. Jess had pouted when Sam was adamant that he wouldn't let her be part of this hunt, but after a few minutes she listened to reason and promised to stay behind.

Sam looked up as he heard Dean approach the stairs. His brother had brought down two bags of salt, a shovel and all the items they needed for a successful salt and burn. Dean sighed as he stomped up the stairs.

"You know that it's all concrete down there?" he asked.

Sam frowned. "Now that you mention it, yes, I remember."

"And when were you planning to tell me about it? We'll need more than a shovel to get through that floor."

"Sorry Dean, I forgot."

Dean cocked his eyebrows. "You forgot?"

"Dude, I saw a man murder his wife and drag her downstairs to the basement. Sorry I wasn't paying attention to the floor."

Dean backed off a little. Sam was edgy and he could understand why. "Calm down, bro," he said soothingly. "We'll manage. Let's go gank the lady." He squatted down in front of Sam with his back to him and waited for Sam to wrap his arms around his shoulders. Then, Dean hooked his hands under Sam's thighs and slowly got up with his brother on his back. Tentatively, he took the first step down. "Didn't you say it was just one big room down there?" he asked casually, but didn't wait for an answer. "Not anymore. There are three rooms now. So I hope you were paying attention in your vision where he buried her. I don't like to dig up the whole basement. And Dave wouldn't be too happy if I broke open all the concrete."

Sam nodded, but then remembered that Dean couldn't see it. "Yeah," he just said. He wasn't quite sure if he could find the place where Frederic had buried his wife. The basement looked totally different. Dean had opened the doors so he could see what was behind them. The first room was a depository for firewood, complete with chopping block and axe. The next room had a wine rack that made Dean whistle and the third one was a storage room containing a bunch of cans on shelves and an old cupboard.

"Stop," Sam told Dean. "Put me down."

Dean let go of Sam's thighs and lowered his brother to the floor. "What is it?"

"I remember the cupboard. It's the same as in my vision."

"It sure looks old."

Something caught Sam's eye and he got down on his elbows to look under the cupboard.

Dean got on his knees. "Can you see anything?"

Sam squinted his eyes. "It looks like someone removed the concrete under the cupboard and replaced it with wooden planks."

"You think…?"

Sam shrugged. "Might as well start here."

Dean went over to the big cupboard and tried to move it, but to no avail. "This damn thing is massive," he stated.

"Yeah, they used to build furniture more solid then." Using his forearms, Sam dragged himself over to Dean and positioned himself at the small end of the cupboard. Unable to brace his feet against the ground for leverage, he couldn't use all his strength, but between him and Dean they managed to move the furniture. The cupboard gave a deafening screech when it scratched over the floor, but, inch by inch, it finally gave way, revealing a few wooden planks of approximately six feet long and three feet wide.

Dean panted as he sat down beside Sam. "Looks like the perfect grave."

"He didn't bother replacing the concrete," Sam agreed. "Frederic must've thought the cupboard would hide the evidence of his crime sufficiently."

"And that's our luck. I would've really hated digging up the whole basement." Dean tried to pry his fingers between the wood and the concrete to loosen the planks and Sam handed him the iron bar he was still carrying in the pocket of his jeans. Dean managed to wedge the slender iron into the tiny gap and hoisted the plank. Beneath it, there was dark soil with a small piece of fabric sticking out of it.

Sam bit his lip as he recognized the pattern on the fabric. "That's the rug he wrapped her in."

"Yahtzee." Dean lifted another plank. "It looks like he didn't bother to bury her very deep."

"I'll go salt the door." Sam grabbed the legs of his jeans to turn his legs around. "Maybe we can keep her outside."

Dean watched as Sam dragged himself over the floor. He was proud of his little brother. The broken wrist might have frustrated him but he didn't let it stop him from doing as much as possible to help.

Dean lifted the last plank and grabbed the shovel while Sam ripped open the bag of salt and started drawing a salt line at the door step. Suddenly their breath came out white and they could clearly feel the temperature dropping. They didn't even have time to share a knowing look when the bag of salt was forcefully ripped out of Sam's hands. Sam fell on his back hard as if he had been punched and Dean felt the shovel being wrenched out of his grip.

Dean looked frantically around. "Show yourself, you fugly bitch," he yelled, but all he achieved was a bunch of cans suddenly flying from the shelves in his direction. Dean dived out of the way but he couldn't prevent a big can of ravioli hitting his shoulder, causing him to cry out in pain.

Still lying on his back, Sam fumbled with his gun. He wasn't sure if he could aim properly with his left hand, but the real problem was that there was nothing to aim at. How was he supposed to shoot an invisible ghost? Controlling his upcoming panic, he looked for an indication where the vengeful spirit could be hiding. A movement caught his eye and just before another can came flying, he placed a shot in the direction of the shelf. The can fell to the ground and rolled away.

"Good shot," Dean praised and retrieved the shovel.

"We've got to hurry." Sam sat up and pulled himself to where the salt bag was lying. Unable to bend his broken wrist, he made a fist to support himself on the floor. He hissed as he put his weight on it, but it wasn't as bad as he had expected. Sliding on his butt across the floor wasn't the most dignified form of locomotion, but Sam couldn't care less. With the gun still in his left hand, he reached the salt bag and pushed it over to the door. Suddenly he found himself crashing to the floor. He barely had time to be surprised at the fact that his feet were high in the air when he was dragged over the floor so fast he was sure he would be getting burn marks on his back.

Dean was digging into the hard soil when he heard the dull thud from behind. Whirling around, he saw Sam disappear through the door with flailing arms. Dean grabbed his gun and ran to the door, but it was suddenly slammed in his face. With a cry of frustration, Dean rattled at the door handle just to realize that the door was locked. Sam needed him but he was trapped.

"Keep digging," he heard his brother shout from outside. And Sam was right. Burning the corpse was the only way to get rid of Gloria and save them both. Dean rushed back and continued digging as if his life depended on it. Actually, it was.

Sam tried to grab a hold of something to stop his sliding over the floor. Or at least slow it down. Concrete wasn't the best of grounds to be dragged across. His back began to hurt as more bruises were added to his collection. Suddenly the movement stopped and his legs fell to the floor with an impact that would have been painful, had he been able to feel it. And then Gloria materialized, but Sam could see barely more than a shade of her. Sitting on his chest, she grabbed his forearms and pushed them in a vice-like grip to the floor behind his head. "You betrayed me," she hissed, her eyes full of hatred as she slammed Sam's left hand against the floor again and again until he let go of the gun. The Taurus slid all the way across the hallway to the stairs, unreachable for Sam. Desperately, he tried to wiggle out of her grip and wished he could have been able to move his legs to kick her back. But although Gloria still thought he was her husband, she seemed to have noticed that he couldn't use his legs and that she didn't have to pay attention to what was behind her.

"I'm not Frederic," Sam tried to explain. "My name is Sam. And I never did anything to hurt you." There he was, trying to argue with a ghost. It was ridiculous. He wasn't even sure she could hear him. Even if she could, she wasn't listening.

"You cheated on me," she accused him and the hateful expression in her eyes changed to a sad one, but only for a moment. "You killed me and now I'm going to kill you." She let go of Sam's forearms and wrapped her hands around his throat. With malicious joy, she started to strangle him. Now that she had let go of his arms, Sam tried to hit her, but his hands went straight through her body. Sam didn't wonder why she could make physical contact with him while he couldn't touch her. He'd seen these kinds of inexplicable phenomena before where spirits were involved. Gasping for air, he wished his cast were made of iron. Would have been heavy but helpful in his job. He giggled at the thought, well aware that his light-headedness was caused by the lack of oxygen. Desperately, he searched his pockets for the iron bar just to remember that it was still in the storage room where Dean had used it. So this was the end. Dean would never be able to burn the corpse in time. Black spots were already dancing before Sam's eyes and his desperate movements were getting slower. "I'm so sorry, Dean, I let you down," he thought. "We should have waited for dad." Sam closed his eyes and tried to picture Dean and John, the two people he loved the most, not wanting the hate-filled face of a vengeful spirit to be the last thing he saw in his life.

* * *

Sweat was running down his temples and his shirt was soaked with sweat. Dean was panting, but he didn't stop. Sam was out there with a ghost and it was way too quiet. Dean had to force himself not to run to the door and pound it, desperately screaming his brother's name. He knew the door wouldn't budge and he would be wasting precious seconds. Seconds he needed to dig up the corpse. He had already laid bare the rug the body was wrapped in. He threw the shovel aside and grabbed the rug, pulling it out of the hole in one last effort. Just when he started to unwrap it, a shot reverberated through the room. He breathed a sigh of relief. The shot could only mean that Sam was still alive.

* * *

Sam was on the verge of losing consciousness when he heard a loud bang. He wasn't sure if he had really heard it or if his senses were starting to play tricks on him. But suddenly the ferocious grip on his throat was gone. Not even asking what had just happened, Sam sucked air through his manhandled throat. And then Jess was by his side. She slid his hand behind his neck and rested his head in the crook of her arm. Sam felt tears running down his cheek as he looked into her worried face.

"You shot her?" he croaked out.

Jess nodded, tears streaming down her face as well. "I'm sorry I didn't stay behind like you said," she smiled through her tears.

"I'm so glad you didn't." Sam's throat was sore and hurt, as did his hand, but this was not the time to lick his wounds. "Where is the gun?" he asked.

Jess looked up. "Oh, I dropped it after I fired. How stupid," she chastised herself. "But it was the first time I had a gun in my hand and I was shocked when I saw what she was doing to you…"

"It's okay." Sam cut her short. "Just get it. She'll come back any moment."

Jess nodded, but first she helped Sam sit up and lean against the wall. He made a dismissive gesture with his hand. "I'll manage," he said somewhat impatiently. "Get the gun."

Jess got up but after two steps she was forcefully pushed back and Gloria appeared. Jess stumbled backwards and tripped over Sam's legs, her eyes wide with panic as she looked at the ghost. Sam followed her gaze and paled when he noticed what Gloria was carrying. The axe from the depository room.

Sam's heart stopped beating for one moment just to hammer painfully against his chest in the next one when Gloria lifted the axe high over her head, ready to strike. "Now would be the right time, Dean," he thought desperately as he shielded Jess's body with his own. Jess was sobbing uncontrollably now and clutching at his arm, perfectly immobilizing him in the process. Not that it changed anything. Sam was at his wits' end. He had no gun and no iron to fend off the vengeful spirit. He couldn't even run. Not that running would have helped anyway.

Gloria seemed to savor her triumph. She took her time, smiling gleefully as she saw the fear in Sam's eyes. She stepped closer.

"Dean!" Sam yelled.

* * *

Eventually, Dean had the corpse unwrapped. He wrinkled his nose. "You're pretty fugly as a ghost, lady, but your body is even worse." He ran over to the bag of salt. Fingers shaking, he poured all that was left of it over the skeleton. He heard a sob coming from outside and briefly frowned. That wasn't Sam's voice and the ghost wouldn't sob, would it? But he didn't take the time to think about it; he grabbed the fire accelerant and generously soaked the corpse and the rug with it. Almost done. And then he heard his brother yell his name, in a desperate tone of voice that made his blood run cold and made him grab the lighter as fast as he could.

* * *

Gloria was ready to strike and bury the axe in Sam's chest when a loud "Hey" snapped through the hall like a whip lash. Sam didn't know that ghosts could be startled like this but Gloria lowered the axe a bit and turned her head to where Dave was standing at the end of the stairs. The older man didn't know how to continue and he would have had no means of defending himself, had Gloria decided to attack. All the same, his shout distracted her for about five seconds. Five seconds before she concentrated on Sam again and raised the axe once more. But five seconds were all that were needed to save Sam's life. Just when she brought the axe down to fulfill her promise to kill Sam she erupted into a wall of flames. She let out a shrill shriek, but Sam didn't listen, watching the axe falling straight down to his leg. No way the blade could miss it. But maybe Jess had anticipated it, or maybe she was just acting on quick instinct as she grabbed Sam's legs and pulled them out of danger within a split second. The axe clattered to the concrete floor without doing any harm.

Sam gulped and took a deep breath, noticing that his hands were shaking. The last few minutes had contained a bit too much excitement for his taste. He looked over at Jess who seemed unsure whether to laugh or cry. And then realization set in. Dean had done it. They had done it. He pulled Jess from where she was sitting beside him into his arms and hugged her. Grateful, he nodded at Dave who was still standing there, staring at them with a shocked expression on his face. Then, the door to the storage room opened and Dean ran out, his eyes frantically searching for his brother. When he saw that Sam was okay, a big grin spread on his face.

"Gloria is history," he announced. "We're great, Sammy." Then his face fell as he tried to make sense of the scene before him. Jess in Sam's arms, Dave approaching from the foot of the stairs and the axe on the floor, just a few inches away from Sam's leg. He swallowed. "What happened here?"

Sam looked up. "Jess and Dave saved me from Gloria. Twice." Sam hated his voice that was still raspy and made Dean frown. "Yeah, I know, Gloria tried to strangle me, but Jess shot her and then when she tried to kill me with the axe Dave distracted her just long enough for you to get rid of her. Thanks for that, Dean. It was just in the nick of time."

Dean couldn't answer. A thick lump was sitting in his throat when he realized that he had been completely oblivious to the events that had occurred just outside the room. He knew he couldn't have done anything to prevent any of them and he had done the right thing by concentrating on burning the corpse, but he still felt bad that he hadn't been there to protect his brother. He crouched down beside Sam and raised his eyebrows at his bloody left hand.

"What happened to your hand?"

"It's just bruised. Don't worry."

"Your left hand? Dude, you got to be kidding me." Dean couldn't believe it.

"She slammed my hand against the floor so I would let go of the gun," Sam explained. "But it's not so bad. I think only my knuckles are scraped."

Dean let it go for the moment and turned to Jess. "Didn't I tell you to stay behind?" he asked.

"I'm sorry," Jess nodded, but she didn't seem to be feeling too guilty. "I just couldn't stay behind, and neither could my parents. So we followed you and just when we got into the house we heard a shot. I went downstairs and saw the ghost strangling Sam. And there was the gun laying at my feet. So I took it." She shrugged casually as if she shot ghosts every day.

"You know Jess," Dave commented. "We tried to hold her back but she is one stubborn daughter." He looked at Jess with pride. "But I'm glad she got her way in this one."

"Me too," Sam agreed. "And thank you too, Mr. Moore. You know you saved my life with one little word."

Dave smiled. "You're welcome, son. And the name's Dave."

Dean wrapped Sam's arm around his shoulder. "Let's get you outside. We can come back later and take care of Gloria's remains."

Dave glanced at the storage room, but didn't ask. He went to Sam's other side and helped him get up. Between Dave and Dean, they carried Sam up the stairs to where Jen was waiting beside the wheelchair. She sighed when she saw them appearing. "Oh honey," she exclaimed, "is everything alright?"

Dave nodded. "It's gone," he told his wife. "The boys did an awesome job. And Jess, too, as I was told." The men helped Sam into the wheelchair and Dean put his brother's feet onto the footrest.

"Are you okay?" Sam asked in a low voice when they were at eye level.

"Sure."

"The can hit you pretty hard."

"It's not even a bruise. It takes more than a can of ravioli to knock me out."

Sam laughed out loud and Dean joined him.

"That was one scary experience," Dave said behind them where he was hugging his wife and daughter. "You're sure this ghost won't come back?"

"We saw it burn," Sam explained. "There is no way it can come back."

"I'm not sure I want to stay in this house any longer."

Jess looked at her father. "Come on, dad. It's over now. And I think it's cool that we have a house with its very own ghost."

"And our very own ghosthunters," Jen added and hugged first Dean and then Sam. "I can't wait to hear how you did it."

As Sam hugged her back, he looked over her shoulder and, locking eyes with Dean, he couldn't stop a silly grin spreading on his face. Judging by the pain, he could tell that his back was even more abraded, his bruised knuckles hurt, and his throat was still burning, but he felt good. Actually, he felt almost invincible. They had successfully managed their first solo hunt. As long as Dean and he were together, nothing could happen to them, that was for sure. Not even a broken wrist could slow him down. He would need help with certain things, but it was nothing to feel bad about.

Jen made room for Jess who carefully climbed onto Sam's lap to kiss him. He felt Dave's hand on his shoulder and knew for certain that he had gained the man's trust and respect, and Jen was looking down on them with benevolence in her eyes. Behind her stood Dean, staring at the scene before him, his expression a mixture of pride and mock disgust with the chick-flick moment. Everything was back to normal. Life was great.


	13. Epilogue

_**Notice to everyone reading this. This is flutie4life. I have changed my username **because I thought it sounded childish and didn't really fit me anymore. I wanted something that sounded unique and Aecoris is the Latin word for 'ocean' which I chose because I love the beach. So yeah, same person just different name!_

_Finally the epilouge is done! I hope that everyone will enjoy it. I want to thank by beta and friend Gabi for all of her help and the amazing chapters she wrote. This story would not be nearly as good without her. She helped me decide which parts to keep and get rid of and chose the plot for the story before it was written. I can't wait to work with her on the sequel to this story._

_This universe is most likely far from done. I really enjoy it and it is by far my favorite to write. Of course how much there will be will depend if people still enjoy reading it as it goes on. I hope everyone will. Ideas for the next story are already in place and all I'll say for now is that it involves a shape shifter and will focus around Sam, Dean and John. So there will be a lot more "fatherly" parts and you'll get to see how John is around his boys now. If there's anything you might like to see let me know and I'll think about it, I'm always open to good ideas._

_Enjoy!_

* * *

"Are you sure you're feeling well enough to go?" Dean asked Sam for the second time and the younger brother rolled his eyes.

"Dean, if I could face an angry spirit with a broken wrist and bruised back, what makes you think I can't sit at a party?" He made his tone light, not wanting to get into an argument with his brother although he was greatly annoying him at the moment. But Dean was just concerned and maybe feeling a bit guilty and that kept Sam under control.

"I...I know. It's just you were already banged up and then you got thrown around by the ghost. I know you're probably still hurting and..."

"Dean." Sam cut him off. "I'm fine, I'm feeling great actually. I'm still a bit sore but I can feel myself finally healing. You even said my back is looking better and I can finally put a bit of weight on my arm. I just spent two days sleeping in bed dude. I'm all energized and ready to do something."

Dean smiled, hearing the truth in his brother's words. "You know it's a pool party, so you better put on that water-proof lining that you use in the shower."

"Yes, _mom_." Sam rolled his eyes once again. Jess's parents had been convinced that their house was spirit-free over the past two days. Jess had even said that she had never heard the house more quiet and peaceful. So to celebrate (and because they knew the boys would be leaving any day) they had decided to throw a party. The celebrations were to thank Dean and Sam but they had invited neighbors and friends as well, claiming it was just a simple pool party. Dave had stopped by the day before and had sounded excited when he told the boys. He was all smiles as he informed Sam that he wanted everyone to meet his daughter's friends. Sam had grinned at that, Dave had come a long way from when Sam had first met him. And it wasn't as though Dave had ever necessarily looked down on Sam because of his disability. He just wanted someone that could protect his daughter and treat her right, be able to care for her. And Sam had proved that and more to him.

Sam's heart sunk a little thought when he realized that he and Jess weren't even exactly boyfriend and girlfriend. He never had actually asked her out, they had only been on a few dates. And it wasn't as if Sam could ask her out because it wouldn't be fair to her. She wouldn't want a boyfriend that was about to leave across the country, not knowing when or if he would be back. It was not like they could ever hope for a future together with hunting. Even if Jess had asked to come along (which she wouldn't) Sam wouldn't have let her. He wasn't about to put her in that type of danger.

For the first time since he had found his family Sam thought about the idea of settling down. He didn't want to lose his family, but maybe...after a while, maybe when they found this demon in Sam's visions...they all could. He let his mind wander to his father buying a house, going on dates with Jess, Dean finding a girl...the two of them raising their own families, visiting on weekends. It was absurd, frightening and a little strange but it was also exciting. But he had to be realistic. Who knew how long it would take to find this demon and if they would stop after they killed it..._if _they ever managed to kill it. Who knew if they would ever be able to adjust to that type of life or if they would enjoy it? He couldn't ask Jess to wait for him; it was unfair and unrealistic to wait for someone that you probably would never have. It wasn't like they knew each other all too well anyway. Jess dated him, had a nice week but would move on, forget about him. She had to. Who knew if they would have worked out anyway? She would find someone who could give her everything she wanted, someone who could stay with her and she wouldn't have to wait for. Someone who was less of a hassle....

"Hey, you alright?" Dean's concerned voice brought Sam out of this thoughts and back into the real world. Dean was sitting on the bed, eyeing Sam across the room with curiosity.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. It's just going to suck to leave." He admitted, no use hiding it from Dean. Besides, it felt better to tell someone who would understand.

"I knew something was bugging you when you had that emo face on." Dean smirked and then got serious. "I know, it will suck. Jess was one cool chick. You two made an awesome couple."

Sam smiled a bit, he knew how much it must have taken Dean to say something sappy like that and he appreciated it. "I just really like her, you know? There was this sort of connection from the start. She was the first person other than you and dad that I felt completely comfortable with."

Dean nodded, unsure of what to say. "She's a special person Sammy. And I could tell she was interested in you from the get-go. And it only got worse from there." He winked and then cocked his head to the side. "You know, we could stay a while longer after dad gets back. He should be back tomorrow but we could stay, give you two some more time together."

"No." Sam said right away. "No it's fine." The sooner they left the better. Because if they stayed longer that would only mean Sam would get more attached to her and his feeling would deepen even more. It would be harder to say goodbye. One look at his brother's face and Sam knew he understood.

"So I think we should start back up your exercises now. It's been a while since we've done them. Don't want your legs to go wasting on ya' do you?" Dean changed the subject and Sam was grateful. He let Dean help him out of his wheelchair and onto the ground as they continued the routine.

* * *

"Sam! Dean!" As soon as the brothers were out of the Impala they were bombarded with Jess. She first bent down to hug Sam tightly and gave him a kiss on the lips and then hugged Dean with just as much force.

"Hey, Jess." Sam said and right after Dean quirked an eyebrow.

"Excited much?" He asked her with a laugh.

"I'm so excited! This is going to be so much fun. Some of my friends that I made here are coming and I can't wait to introduce you guys to them." She then eyed Dean. "And who knows...you might even find someone you like." She winked.

Dean rolled his eyes. "Haha, very funny."

"I'm not kidding Dean. I know some of my friends would be very interested in you." She teased and then turned so she was facing both of the boys. "Anyway my parents are waiting to see you guys. Let's go into the house."

Sam wheeled himself over the grass with a little bit of difficulty until he made it onto the cement path leading towards the house. His arm wasn't giving him much pain when he pushed himself around anymore but he could feel a little bit of pain when he wheeled over uneven terrain. Sam could also tell that Dean was hovering but he wasn't bugging Sam so it could be called a fair trade. Sam knew he would need extra help with his wrist broken but he wanted to do as much as he could independently.

When they entered the house both Sam and Dean were greeted by Jess's smiling parents. After they hugged both of the boys Jen immediately burst into conversation.

"We can't begin to thank you boys enough. What you did for us and our home...we could have...no we would have died without your help. Sam...you believed in Jess when even we didn't and Dean...if you hadn't come to the house that night, who knows what would have happened...you two..."

She was cut off by Dave's cough. "I think the boys get the point." He laughed. "Basically what she is trying to say is that we all thank you both so much, and we know we could never repay you. We're so lucky that Jess chose such nice friends and the least we can do is throw a party for you."

"Really, it's no big deal." Sam grinned at them both, feeling extremely comfortable around Jess's family. "It's our job anyway."

"Yeah." Dean added in, peering over Dave's shoulder at the food in the kitchen. "And by the look of the food in there, that's all the thanks we need!"

Sam rolled his eyes as Jen smiled. "Actually we're just about to set it up on the table outside. More guests will be arriving any minute. You boys make yourselves at home. We have a deck of cards and board games out on the picnic table for you to play with. The pool is open, and there's..."

"I'm sure they will find something to do honey." Dave stopped his wife and winked at the boys. "Go on outside and have fun."

They turned around and Jess rolled her eyes as she led the boys out of the house.

"You're parents are so nice." Sam told her and Jess huffed.

"They're annoying and awkward." She teased. "But I guess that's to be expected after a ghost experience. I guess I just handle these things better than them."

"You handled it a lot better than nearly _anyone_ we've come across with." Dean pointed out and Sam nodded his agreement.

Jess smiled sweetly. "I guess I'm just awesome like that. So how about we take a dip in the pool? It's 85 degrees out here and it's not going to get any cooler."

"I'm up for that." Dean said with a grin. "How about you Sammy?

Part of Sam didn't want to go into the pool in fear of embarrassment. He'd only been in the water that one time with Jess and they'd been alone then, not at a party. But Sam shook off the feeling. All they would be doing was relaxing in a pool and he would be with Dean and Jess. There was no reason to be embarrassed in front of them or Jess's parents.

"Yeah, that's a good idea." He told his brother.

It kind of sucked that Sam needed Dean to help him out of his wheelchair and into the pool. At least he was able to get out of his clothes on his own, glad that he had swimming trunks on under his jeans. But it was an in-ground pool and it was slippery. Plus he didn't trust his broken arm. He was finally in with his cast wrapped in the protective waterproof casing and Dean was holding him upright when Jess threw him an inner tube.

"Get in that so you can hold yourself up." She told him as she easily hopped into the pool. Sam envied her for that, even though the water was only three feet Sam couldn't even go in it without some kind of support. His legs had no way of holding him up and he grudgingly accepted the inner tube because without it, he would drown.

"Wait a second, before you get in that Sammy..." Dean started to say and the next thing Sam knew were his big brother's strong hands on his shoulders pushing him under the water. He didn't even have time to react as he accidentally breathed in the water and it stung his eyes. He felt panic for only a second but a moment later Dean was pulling him up and placing the inner tube around him, both he and Jess were laughing like maniacs.

"Dean!" Sam coughed up water and grabbed onto the sides of the tube for dear life. "God, you're such a jerk!" He blinked furiously trying to get the chlorine out of his eyes.

"Well that's what you get for being a little gimp." Dean was practically giggling and Sam couldn't help but laugh right along, no matter how much he wanted to pretend to be mad.

Jess didn't seem to mind though and once he was situated in the inner tube she wadded over and gave him a passionate kiss at which Dean gagged.

"Hey Sam," he interrupted the couple. "What d'you think? Would you like to try and stand?"

Sam looked at his brother, perplexed. "Stand?"

"Yeah." Dean waved his hand towards the middle of the pool. "It gets deeper there. It should work."

Suspiciously, Sam eyed the water, unsure of what to say. Jess nudged his arm. "Come on, Sam," she encouraged him. "Give it a try. We'll make sure you won't get under."

"Sure. Or Dean takes the chance and drowns me completely."

"Now I'm offended." Dean pouted and splashed a wave of water into Sam's face. But then he got serious. "C'mon, Sam, the water will support your weight. I promise I won't push you under."

Sam still wasn't sure, but eventually he nodded his consent. Jess took the inner tube away from him and Dean grabbed him under his arms, dragging him to the middle of the pool, where the water was about 5' 3''. Jess made sure Sam's feet were placed firmly on the ground while Dean stood in front of his brother, holding him up. "You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm good." Sam had to admit he liked the experience. Although he couldn't feel his feet on the ground and had to rely on Dean and Jess to prevent his knees from buckling, he was experiencing a completely new level of independence. He was standing. Actually standing without the help of crutches or parallel bars. Dean had his hands loosely around his waist to help him keep his balance but he was standing on his own and it was a great feeling.

After a few minutes Sam's knees buckled out under him and he fell forward into Dean's waiting arms that pulled him into a hug. He was panting from the effort of standing on his feet, but he felt good.

"You did it, Sammy." Dean beamed and Sam felt himself break into a broad smile, too.

"That looked good," Jess agreed and between her and Dean they dragged Sam back to the edge where Jess first planted a kiss on Sam's lips and then handed him the inner tube back.

* * *

For the next fifteen minutes they simply relaxed in the pool, splashed each other and threw a beach ball around. They made a game out of it where they could only throw and catch with one arm, mainly because Sam could only use one since he needed the other arm to keep himself upright on the inner tube.

Sam couldn't help but notice the change in his brother as he lunged after the ball and became submerged in water. Dean seemed so carefree, so happy and it was the most Sam had ever seen him relax and just be himself. Dean had taken another one of those pills this morning but he had still been jittery until now. It was as though Dean had two large burdens taken off his shoulders during their stay in Michigan. First of all, he had finally gotten Sam to go on a date, and Sam himself knew just how happy it made Dean to see his younger brother so content with Jess, to finally find a girl that appreciated him for all the right reasons. And there was also the issue that Dean didn't have to deal with his smoking anymore. He no longer had to worry about the constant ache and when his next smoke would be and where he would go to smoke it. Sure, that ache was still there, but Dean had taken that final step to not smoke again and soon it would fade and there would be no more anxiousness.

Speaking of Dean, the older brother had stopped throwing the beach ball in mid-stride and was now looking over Sam's shoulder with a smile on his face. Before Sam could ask Dean wadded over to him and nudged his shoulder.

"Check it out man, there's a whole group of hot chicks headed our way. Not that you're interested." He said as he motioned towards Jess.

Sam laughed as he rolled his eyes. Jess was now waving over at the girls to meet her. "Jess could help get you hooked up with one of them." Sam winked and that earned him a mouthful full of water from Dean.

"Oh silly Sammy." Dean shook his head. "I won't even need Jess's help; they will just be forced to gravitate towards me with my charm. You should know that by now."

The girls walked over and didn't even try to hide their glances at the boys, blushing when Dean winked at them. As soon as they jumped into the pool Dean was off, and Sam could see him specifically heading towards the long-haired brunette.

A friendly looking girl with short blonde hair started talking to Jess; throwing glances Sam's way and he could only guess that Jess was telling her about him. But with Dean gone girl-chasing and Jess talking with a friend, Sam was left alone in the corner of the pool with the third girl grinning at him.

At first Sam was confused; no girl other than Jess had ever taken any real interest in him. But then he remembered that she couldn't tell that he was paralyzed, he was floating in the pool and his wheelchair was under a tree, hidden from any swimmer's view.

"Hey there. I'm Mandy." She smiled and made her tone so cheery and flirty that it sounded fake. I haven't seen you around here, are you new in town?" She started twirling her still-dry hair with one finger and Sam had the sudden urge to splash her. He already didn't like her from the way she was acting; he had seen enough of these girls back in high school.

"I'm just visiting with my brother." He kept his sentences short, unsure of what to do. He'd never been hit on by anyone before and he was at a loss. What was he supposed to say to her? What would make her go away without getting mad?

"Who? That guy over there?" She pointed a thumb back at Dean who was laughing with the other girl. "He's okay looking, but I'd prefer you. You're thinner, stronger looking. What happened to your hand?"

"It's broken."

"Did you have an accident?"

"Sort of." Sam was frantically searching for an escape route, but there was none.

"That's why you use this inner tube?" Mandy asked. "Don't worry, I will help you out." Mandy tried to pull the inner tube away, but Sam held on to it tightly. He didn't say anything but after looking into his eyes, Mandy backed off a bit. But just for a moment. Then she smiled and ran one of her hands over Sam's muscles on his arm. "Woahh," she giggled and her eyes widened in awe. "You have very strong arms."

He froze, in shock and tried to push himself away from her using his arms but he was already in the corner of the pool. Luckily Sam saw the short-haired girl tap Jess on the shoulder and point at them.

In mere seconds Jess was at his side. She smiled calmly and threw a casual arm around his shoulders before she leaned in to kiss him. "Hey sweetie." She said to him as she pulled away.

The panic must have been evident on his face because Jess just grinned and winked at him, understanding. She turned to Mandy who had an evil look in her eye. "I see you've met my boyfriend Sam." She told her which just caused Mandy to mutter something under her breath about 'all the hot ones being taken' and turn away.

"Thanks for that." Sam whispered and Jess moved so she was behind him and wrapped both her arms around his chest, holding him steady.

"It was my pleasure."

Exiting the pool was going to be a problem. Normally Sam would have been able to push himself out but the broken wrist prevented him from doing so.

All of the girls including Jess had already gotten out of the pool and Sam gave his brother a knowing look.

"Ready to get out?" Dean asked, flipping over from where he had been floating on his back.

"Yeah." Sam answered him and looked back to where Jess's friends were. They were still eyeing the brothers and Jess wasn't with them because she was helping to set up the food. Sam really didn't want them to find out he was paralyzed. It had been nice being treated normally for once even if that girl did creep him out. But what was he going to do? It wasn't like he could stay in the pool the whole night.

Dean glanced over at the girls as well. "I don't think they're going to be looking away any time soon Sammy. Come on; let's get you outta here before you shrivel up."

Sam sighed as Dean hopped out of the pool with ease. He positioned his arms on the side of the pool and Dean grabbed him under the armpits, hoisting him out of the water and onto the cement, his legs still hanging into the water.

Sam dried himself off with the towel Dean offered him while his brother went to go get the hidden wheelchair. He now saw that the group of girls were staring at him with confusion and curiosity because Dean had to help him out of the pool. Great.

Dean returned moments later and unfolded the wheelchair in front of Sam. Neither of them looked over at the group, not wanting to see their sure to be shocked faces. Dean had to help Sam into the chair again and Sam cursed his broken arm. He must look like a complete invalid. At least if his arm wasn't broken he would have been able to get out of the pool and into his wheelchair by himself and he wouldn't be as embarrassed.

Sam stared down at his limp legs, knowing the girls saw them as well. He took off the water-proof covering on his cast and handed it to Dean who wrapped the towel around his shivering brother's shoulders.

"Thanks." Sam said through chattering teeth, trying hard not to get upset over the ways the girls were staring at him with their mouths wide open.

* * *

Jess started walking back to the pool and had to smile at the sight before her. Dean was helping Sam into his wheelchair with gentle hands and then wrapped a towel tightly around his shivering brother. Jess thought it was just adorable how much he cared about his little brother and it made her wish that her parents would have had another sibling so she could take care of them.

She began heading towards the brothers when she heard her friends call out to her. She sighed when she noticed Mandy waving at her quickly. She didn't like Mandy all that much. The girl was annoying and snobbish. But she and the other girl Lisa hung out with her good friend whose name was Alisha. Jess had known Alisha since her family started staying here for the over the summers and Lisa was okay, they just weren't as close.

So Jess changed course and walked over to Mandy. As soon as she saw what the girls were looking at she became angry. The three of them were staring at Sam and his wheelchair. God, why couldn't people just accept him? What was so hard about that?

"What do you want?" Jess said with a frustrated sigh once she was face to face with the group.

Alisha was about to speak up when Mandy butted in.

"That guy you're dating...Sam...he's a cripple? Seriously Jess?" She said with a hint of disgust in her voice. "You could do so much better! What about that guy I tried to hook you up with last summer? So you're just going to stick for someone that's so weak and helpless that he can't even stand up on his own?"

Jess was fuming; she glanced over at the brothers and knew that they had heard. Dean was sending Mandy a glare so intense that Jess was surprised she didn't burn on the spot. And Sam...poor sweet Sam was just sitting there with his head down, face flushed with embarrassment.

Before Jess was able to get her act together Alisha turned to face Mandy.

"You've got to be kidding me Mandy? Are you really that shallow?"

Mandy scrunched her face up and popped her hip out. "I saw you look at him just like I did, so don't try to play nice."

"I did not look at him like you did! Yeah I was shocked but not for the same reason you were. I wasn't shocked that Jess would be dating him, but I couldn't believe that it was his wheelchair I saw under the tree. I never would have guessed. He's just so strong and good looking and I had no idea. I saw you trying to flirt with him; don't tell me that just because he uses a wheelchair that it makes him less attractive?" Alisha raised her voice, the subject clearly upsetting her and inside Jess was cheering. Not only because she was taking Jess's side but because she wasn't judging Sam.

"Actually it does." Mandy said after a moment, clearly taken aback by Alisha's outburst. "I would be so embarrassed to be seen with him."

"He's hot!" Lisa suddenly blurted out and the three other girls turned to look at her. Now this was the shocker of the day. Lisa knew what was right and what was wrong but she almost always kept her mouth shut. The girl hated confrontations and felt awkward in the situations, never taking a side and remaining neutral. However Jess did see her talking with Dean, maybe the older brother made her gain some confidence, open her up a bit.

"Seriously, you too?" Mandy shook her head in obvious disbelief.

"What? It's true." Lisa shrugged. "And Jess always has the perfect taste in guys. I wouldn't be talking about Jess being able to find other guys if I were you. All the boyfriends you've had have been assholes and used you." Lisa blushed then, even she couldn't believe what she had spoken. "I'm just saying." She said with a whisper and another shrug.

Mandy took a step back, staring at all three girls and then glanced back at the brothers. She had a look of betrayal on her face and it made Jess want to laugh. She found the courage to speak without getting angry though due to her friends' support.

"Don't underestimate Sam because he can't walk, Mandy. You have no idea how strong he is. Actually he broke his wrist when he was saving my life. Did one of your boyfriends do something like that for you?" She simply smiled at Mandy.

"At least they could walk," Mandy tried to justify herself.

Alisha snorted. "You're so right. They were assholes, but at least walking assholes. You have to listen to yourself, Mandy." She shook her head.

Mandy huffed and spun around, not looking back as she left the backyard.

* * *

Dean saw the brunette girl leave and curiosity took over. He had to figure out what was going on. He had heard the beginning of the conversation but since then they had quieted down and left both brothers wondering.

"Hey, I'll be right back Sammy." Dean said, knowing that Sam wouldn't want to follow. As he approached them Jess met him half way.

"She was a jerk Dean. Me and my friends told her off. Would you mind keeping my friends entertained while I go tell Sam?"

"You're asking me _if_ I could go talk to two hot girls? I really thought you knew me better than that." Dean shook his head and Jess laughed in response as she went to talk to his brother.

"Hey ladies." Dean said with a grin as the girls turned around. Alisha was really hot in Dean's opinion with a sassy short hair-do. Lisa was more shy, reserved and usually would not be Dean's type of girl but there was something about her that drew Dean to her. It was as if she was more real and seemed that she knew who she was and wasn't going to change. Dean liked that, he liked the conversation they had in the pool. It had dawned on him then that just talking and getting to know a girl was so much better than a one-night stand. He felt like he actually had a connection with Lisa by just simply talking with her, it was nice. But then again, getting attached to someone never turned out well in his line of work, it would only end up hurting you.

"Hey." Alisha grinned at him. "I can't believe Jess met such cute brothers and now you guys are leaving just when we met you!" Dean figured that Alisha had asked Jess about them and she explained that they weren't staying.

"Wait, you're leaving?" Lisa asked and sounded disappointed. "You never told me that."

"Yeah, me and Sam work with our dad traveling around the country. We never stay in one place too long." Dean told her only for Lisa's face to fall even more as she stared at the grass below her.

"Oh." Was all she said before walking away towards the food that was now on a table. Dean gave Alisha a questioning glance.

"She likes you. She told me that she thought she finally found a good, nice guy. A lot of guys ignore her or don't get her a second glance because she's smart and pretty shy. It's hard for her to meet and talk to guys." Alisha told him while rummaging through her purse for something. "I gotta say that you didn't seem like her type though."

Dean let out a humorless laugh. "Yeah, I'm dyslexic and nearly was a high school drop-out. I'm sure a girl like that would want someone like me."

Alisha looked confused. "No, not like that. Do you think she would really care about things like that? I meant that you looked tough and snarky, maybe you were a jerk like a lot of guys are."

Dean rolled his eyes. "Thanks a lot. I'm glad to know that I look like a creep."

"Not a creep. Just...that came out wrong. I mean she usually falls for the quiet and polite guys. You just surprised me. I watched how gently you helped your brother. You were nicer than we thought you would be." Alisha finally found what she was looking for and to Dean's horror she pulled out a white pack of cigarettes. She popped one out and put it in her mouth but before she could light it she caught Dean staring.

"You want one?" She asked and held out the pack to him.

Dean swallowed and he felt the slight headache that he had hit full force, making his head throb. He hadn't been aware how much he was craving for a cigarette. Now right in front of him was not only one, but a whole pack of cigarettes. Something that would make the headache and all the other pains vanish. And there he had been thinking he was over the cravings already. He felt himself begin to sweat and his fingers twitch as he starred at the offending box. Just one, only one and he would feel better again, he'd be able to get a full night's sleep again...

Dean felt himself raise his head and then jumped back in shock. What the hell was wrong with him? Was he really that pathetic? It shouldn't be that hard to resist smoking anymore but here he was and he almost accepted the box from Alisha. These past few days had been okay because he wasn't around smoke and was only at the motel and Jess's house. Pretty soon he would be back in the real world. Back to people smoking everywhere on the streets and in diners. Back to going into bars full of thick smoke. Hell, they even carried around lighters when they hunted to light the bones...

This was not going to be as easy as Dean had thought.

Alisha saw his expression and took a hesitant step backward and she pulled the box closer to her. "Hey, it's okay. You don't have to have one. I wasn't trying to force you or anything, just asked because it seemed like you would be a smoker." She shrugged and but the box back in her purse only to pull out a lighter.

"I...no..." Dean couldn't seem to take his eyes of the cigarette in her mouth. "I quit."

"Can't really see why you would but hey, it's your choice and good for you." Alisha mumbled and finally lit the cigarette.

The smell hit Dean's sense in a flash and he almost ran over and grabbed Alisha's purse from her to get one of his own. God...it was so familiar and his body reacted like he needed it, like there was no reason why he shouldn't be smoking...

No, no he didn't need it. He just wanted it. He wasn't going to smoke ever again. He promised Sam and he wasn't going to get Sam hurt again because of his failing health. He had to get the hell outta here.

So Dean used all the willpower that he had and turned around. He nearly sprinted away from Alisha and to the front of the house. There was no way he could be anywhere near that smoke right now. He sat down on the front porch, well aware that his hands were trembling and his eyes stinging and watering. He was panting and he had no idea why. He felt his throat tighten up and the need to cough surged through him. Even though he wasn't smoking anymore the effects of the hated things still lingered in his body. He started coughing, still the loud dry coughs that he had while he was smoking. He placed his head between his legs where he sat on the porch and felt like he was breaking...falling apart...

"Dean?"

It was Sam, god bless his little brother. Dean didn't know how Sam always seemed to know when something was up with him, but Dean knew that it was mutual.

Dean didn't answer, not because he didn't want to but because he physically couldn't. His throat was clogged up and rough and he felt like he was on the onset of tears.

"Dean?" Sam asked again and sounded even more concerned. Dean heard his little brother approach him and heard Sam gasp, probably because he saw how much Dean was shaking.

"Are you okay? Dean, talk to me man, what's wrong?" Sam sounded scared and Dean hated that. There was no reason for Sam to be scared; it was just Dean over-reacting to a stupid smoke. Everything was fine...

Dean lifted his head and was met with Sam starring right at him with worry in his eyes, with Dean sitting on the step they were actually level to each other.

"Dean...you're scaring me man." Sam said and Dean realized that he in fact had been crying. He let out a laugh that was supposed to let Sam know he was okay. But it came out more of a whimper and just made Sam look more frightened. The only thing he could do now was try to talk to his brother.

"It..." He coughed, trying to get rid of the rasp that he had and cleared his throat. "It's okay Sammy. I'm fine."

"That's bullshit Dean. Look at your hands, your face! Something is wrong and you have to tell me. I'm not going to settle with the 'I'm fine' crap anymore."

Dean tried to smirk. "When have you ever?"

"I haven't." Sam gave him a soft smile. "So tell me what's going on, you know I'm here for you. Maybe I can help."

"I...just..." Dean sighed. He just needed to tell Sam and get it over with. "That girl...whatever her name is...with the short hair...she offered me a smoke."

"Alisha? What...did you take it Dean?"

"No. But I almost did. I was that close Sammy, that close to losing all the progress I've made." He sighed and felt Sam put a hand on his shoulder.

"But you didn't. You resisted and that's all that matters. That's great Dean." Sam smiled and Dean looked down, dreading what he was about to tell him next.

"But Sammy...it's so hard. So freakin' hard...and god...all the cravings came back in full force and all of the side-effects. I felt out of control like I couldn't make up my own mind. I felt so lost...I was scared Sammy."

Sam's face changed from the smile into a frown. "Shit Dean, I didn't know it was so hard on you. Why didn't you tell me?"

"It's not too bad but when someone offered me one and lit up right in front of me..."

"She lit up in front of you? Oh man..." Sam sighed and squeezed Dean's shoulder. "Did you tell her you quit?"

"Yeah, but it's not like I blame her for lighting up right there. She didn't know that I just quit...I'm just so afraid. I don't trust myself if we have to go into a bar where everyone is smoking..."

"Dean, don't worry about it. I'll be right there with you to help you. To make sure that you don't make any stupid decisions and to remind you. We could stay out of bars for a while; get Dad to go by himself if he needs to get information. I know you like going to those places to hang out and earn money too; there's gotta be some smoke-free places though." Sam told him.

Dean looked up into the clear blue sky and took a deep breath. He relished the way the fresh air entered his lungs with no traces of smoke at all. He felt like he could breathe so much better but he still hated the way his chest rattled when he breathed deeply. But that could be fixed. The longer he didn't smoke the better he was going to get. He could do this; he could do this with Sam by his side.

"Thanks gimp." Dean said with affection and playfully punched Sam's shoulder. "Anyway, how are you feeling? Did Jess talk to you?"

"You're welcome jerk." Sam grinned and it was a true smile. "And yeah I'm fine, Jess told me what happened. Kind of cool for the girls to stick up for me."

"Yeah it was." Dean agreed when something caught his eye in the distance. "Don't look now but I think your friend is coming to pay us a visit."

Sam's eyes darted side to side, something he did when he was thinking or confused. "Who?" He asked, not wanting to turn around.

"You know... that one guy who called you a faker and tried to push you down his porch?"

"Mr. Luke?" Sam paled a little. "Oh god, he's going to call me out on using the wheelchair still to steal money or some crap at the party. Just you watch."

"Maybe the jerk came to a realization that you're not faking and came to apologize?" Dean joked as Mr. Luke stopped walking once he saw Sam, his face was growing red.

"I'll bet you ten bucks that he's going to say exactly what I just told you." Sam challenged.

Dean grinned, he loved making deals. "It's a deal," He said and smacked Sam in the head to seal the deal. "Uh-oh looks like he's not too happy at you. I swear if he lays a finger on you again he's going down."

"You can't jump an old man Dean." Sam rolled his eyes and a moment later the brothers heard someone clear their throat. Sam turned around and was met with a fuming Mr. Luke.

"So now you're on to scam the Moore family, huh boy?"

Dean stood up to stand next to Sam. "Oh yeah, you know we decided that there ought to be tons of innocent people hanging out here that would feel bad for Sam. So why not?" Dean's tone was full of sarcasm but obviously Mr. Luke didn't notice or didn't care.

The man looked like he was fuming now. "Listen you two punks, I don't know where you came from or what you think you're doing here, but this is my town. I've been living here for 30 years now and I find it my responsibility to look after the people who live here and make sure there is no crime. So either you leave right now or I will call the cops."

It was then when Dean moved in front of Sam, afraid that Mr. Luke would try to push his brother again. "Listen old man, I was being sarcastic. My brother has never been able to walk his entire life. We were invited here and we've never been trying to steal anyone's money."

"Excuse me?" Mr. Luke asked, taken aback. "I saw that boy coming to my house and he by no means knew how to handle the wheelchair properly."

"Maybe that would be because Sam had a sprained wrist and a sore back this day. It's not very easy to handle a wheelchair when you can barely lean back and your hand hurts with every movement." From the corners of his eyes Dean saw Dave walking up to them. Great, he thought, now Jess's father would learn about the embarrassing argument that had happened at Mr. Luke's doorstep.

Sam looked up at Mr. Luke. "We didn't try to scam you, we just had a few questions. But you never gave us the chance to explain."

The older man had started to frown. His gaze fell on Sam's cast and he paled a bit when realization dawned on him. "But…"

He was cut short when Dave arrived and casually laid his hand on Sam's shoulder. "Everything alright here, Henry?" he asked Mr. Luke with a friendly smile. "I see you've met my daughter's friends."

Mr. Luke looked at Dave, still frowning. "This boy is really paralyzed?"

Dave rose his eyebrows in confusion. "Yes, of course he is. Why would he need a wheelchair if he wasn't? I don't assume someone would use a wheelchair just for fun."

Mr. Luke had turned a beet red by the time. Dave shot Sam an inquiring glance. "Sam? What is this all about?"

"It was just a misunderstanding, Dave. We'll explain later."

Jen choose this moment to call out for Dave from the house, but Dave was reluctant to leave. "You sure everything's okay here?"

"We can handle it." Dean assured him. "Thanks."

After Dave had left, Dean turned around to watch Mr. Luke who had begun to squirm.

"I am so sorry." He sighed with guilt in his eyes. "It's just that I've had bad run-ins with kids before and I can't tolerate kid's feigning a disability. It makes me sick. I know my words may not count for much but I am truly sorry."

To Dean's surprise Sam just smiled. "It's okay. Let's forget about it."

Still upset, Dean looked at his brother. "Sammy, you can't be serious! This man nearly pushed you off his porch and accused you of being a thief and you don't care?"

Sam looked up at his brother. "No, I do care. But he apologized, so I accepted it. Actually, Mr. Luke stood up for disabled people when he thought I used the wheelchair to play on people's pity and I appreciate that."

Dean shook his head. "You have more guts than I do kid." He muttered.

Henry Luke ran a hand through his hair. "And I can't even begin to apologize enough for that. I just thought you were faking and would jump out of the chair. Either way, that was foolish of me. I'm not sure what I could do to make up for that."

Dean mumbled something under his breath but Sam spoke up. "It's okay, really. You had the decency to apologize and that's enough for me at least. Just try to not jump to conclusions the next time."

Mr. Luke nodded, still not looking convinced. "So let's star over then. My name is Henry Luke." He held his hand out to Sam who shook it. "I'm Sam Winchester and this is my brother Dean." Mr. Luke turned to Dean and after a moment of grudgingly staring at the man's hand Dean grunted and shook it quickly.

Awkward silence hung between them for a few moments before Dave butted in from the door. "Food is ready. Everyone come and grab a plate."

Dean grabbed onto that opportunity to leave. "Hell yeah, I'm starved! I hope they have some pie."

* * *

An hour later Dean was making his way through the third slice of pie. Sam watched him affectionally, but was soon again distracted by Jess who sat on his lap. A few people looked at them, most of them with an understanding smile, but there were a few with a disapproving frown on their faces. If it was because they showed their young love to everyone or because they found it disgusting that Jess had a disabled boyfriend, Sam didn't know and he didn't care. He was happy. The hunt had gone well, the Moore's house was safe again, the throbbing in his hand had ceased during the last few days and he had the most beautiful girl on his lap. Why should he be bothered about a few frowns that came from narrow-minded people?

But Jess shifted uncomfortably on Sam's lap as she looked over his shoulder. "There's a man watching us."

Sam snorted. "I'm sure he thinks you should find yourself a guy on legs instead of wheels."

"Don't be silly. Maybe he just thinks it's inappropriate for us to hug here where everyone can see us."

"Okay, so let's give him something to see." With his left hand, Sam gently pulled Jess's head down until their lips touched and he kissed her passionately.

"He's still watching us," Jess mumbled around his lips. "Now he's coming towards us."

Still kissing her, Sam let go of her neck to turn the wheelchair around and have a look at the man who seemed to be so interested in them. When he came in view, though, Sam abruptly broke the kiss and pushed Jess off his lap as quickly as he could without being rude. He licked his lips, feeling his cheeks burning. "Oh, hi dad."

John grinned broadly, not even trying to hide his amusement. "Hi Sam. I'm glad you're having fun."

"Yeah. Ah, this is Jess." Sam wished for the ground to open up and swallow him. Why the hell had he put on a show like this?

"Nice to meet you, Jess." John smiled genuinely at the girl, who was as embarrassed as Sam. His smile fell, however, when his gaze came to rest on Sam's cast. "What happened to your hand, son?" he asked worriedly.

Sam looked at his hand as if he noticed the injury just then. "Oh, that. I broke my wrist when I caught Jess."

"You caught her?"

"Yeah." Sam cringed under his father's scrutinizing gaze. "When the ghost pushed her down the stairs."

John raised his eyebrows. "The ghost."

Sam nodded. "But my wrist already had a hairline fracture before because the ghost slammed my hand against a computer desk."

"A computer desk?"

"Yes, in Jess's parents' bedroom."

"And what were you doing there?"

"I was trying to protect Jess and her mom from the ghost."

"You were?"

"Yes. At least until Gloria smashed me into the wall."

"Gloria?"

"The ghost."

"Ah, I see. And it smashed you into a wall?"

"Hm. It wasn't so bad, dad. And neither was the knife wound. It's almost healed."

With his eyebrows still enquiringly raised, John just looked at him, causing Sam to squirm even more.

"She stabbed my thigh. There was nothing I could do to prevent it, dad. But as I said, it's almost healed."

John closed his eyes for a moment and heaved a deep sigh. "How about you tell me the story from the beginning? Any more injuries I should know about?"

"Only some collateral damage," came Dean's voice from behind and he beamed as he hugged John. "Hi dad. Nice that you could make it."

* * *

With a beer in his hand, John leaned at a tree and watched the party. After hugging his boys and making sure that Sam was okay, he had sneaked away. He was exhausted and that was an understatement. Helping Bobby recover from the physical and emotional pain from being taken by the demon that had killed his wife had been tough. He had to stay longer than he had intended and he just wanted to get back to his boys and then sleep for a week. However he had gotten a call from Sam and Dean telling him about a part they were going to. It was at the house of the girl Sam had been seeing and they had really sounded eager for him to come if he was home in time. He just couldn't deny that especially when his boys had sounded so happy. So once he finally made it back in town he followed the instructions they had given him and ended up at a nice looking beach-front house. And he had to admit, just seeing Sam squirm like this had been worth the effort.

John smiled. He knew it had been mean to embarrass Sam like that but he truly had enjoyed the little banter. He was eager to hear more about the hunt but this would have to wait. It wasn't recommendable to discuss the aspects of a ghost hunt in the middle of a party.

Fondly, he looked over at his boys who were now sitting at a picnic table with Jess and two other girls, their happy voices carrying over to him. John smiled when he heard Sam berate Dean about his fourth piece of pie. They seemed so carefree and John made a mental note to take some more time off now and then because his sons deserved a break and he would like to share it with them. He looked over at the food, debating whether or not he should head over there now because he was starving and it had been a while since he had a quality meal. He saw what looked to be a blueberry pie on the table and shook his head from knowing that Dean wouldn't be leaving that table anytime soon. He switched his attention back to Sam and Jessica when a man who had been playing cards at a table a few minutes ago walked up to him. He looked over to where John was staring and came closer.

"I know what you're thinking. You're not the only one." When John raised an eyebrow at the man he continued. "That Moore daughter is beautiful; she could have anyone she wanted. But she's with that crippled boy. It just doesn't make sense to me, a girl like that with half a man. Why didn't she date the brother instead?"

For a moment John stared at the man with his mouth hanging open. He was caught completely off-guard. It wasn't by far the first time he had to deal with prejudices but he hadn't expected them at this place.

He was about to answer when a feisty woman cut him short. "I can tell you why, Kevin," she said with sparkling eyes. "Because Sam is a very nice boy. I'm sure his brother is as well, but Sam and Jess are a perfect match. I can't believe you're so narrow-minded. Can't you see he's just a normal boy who has every right to be happy, to laugh and to love? He just can't walk, that's all."

Kevin raised his hands in defeat. "Yeah, I get it, Maureen. Don't kill me; I'm out of here already." Winking at John, he made his way back to the card table.

Jerk." Maureen muttered under her breath.

Smiling, John looked at the woman who turned to him and suddenly looked embarrassed. "I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't want to interrupt your conversation. It's none of my business, but I can't help getting angry at such talks. This boy, Sam, he is a great guy and he doesn't deserve to be judged like this." She extended her hand. "I'm Maureen, by the way."

John shook her hand. "My name is John. Nice to meet you."

Maureen looked over at the young folks at the table. "I met those boys a few days ago and I liked them a lot. It's a shame that young people like Sam have to suffer from disabilities, but he's doing great. I think Jess made the right choice." Maureen frowned. "You don't agree with what Kevin said, do you?"

"Absolutely not." John smiled. "He can count himself lucky that you came just in time. I wouldn't have left it at a tongue-lashing. No one talks about my son like that and can just walk away."

"Your son?" Maureen exclaimed. "You are…"

"Sam and Dean's father," John completed the sentence. "And I want to thank you for the way you stand up for my son."

"My pleasure." Maureen beamed. "How nice to meet you, John." She grabbed his elbow. "Come on, let's join the young folks. I want to get a piece of this delicious looking blueberry pie before Dean annihilates it all!"

John laughed and, shoving his exhaustion aside, followed Maureen's lead.

* * *

Despite the party and all the excitement the day and night flew by and the next thing Sam knew they were driving to the Moore's house to say goodbye.

John exited his truck as Dean helped Sam out of the Impala. Sam was planning on saying a short goodbye, he was already feeling upset and staying any longer would just make it worse. Jess and her parents walked out as soon as they were out of the cars and walked over. Dave and Jennifer first came over to give both Sam and Dean a hug.

"Thank you boys so much for what you've done to help us. I can't say it enough about how grateful we are." Jennifer said to them and then looked to her husband who smiled at them.

"You two have been such a great help." He then walked closer to Sam and bent down so that he was eye-level to the youngest Winchester. "I'm glad that my daughter found a boy like you, you're a great match for her." He grinned and patted Sam's shoulder before getting up again.

"Thanks." Sam smiled at him. The man would never know how much his words meant to Sam just then. Not only did Dave accept him, but he liked him as well.

The parents went off to the side with Dean and John. Sam saw Jennifer hand Dean a container with a few pie slices in it and tried hard not to laugh, he didn't know how there was any left from last night.

Jess walked up to him and didn't waste any time as she hopped into his lap and wrapped her arms tightly around his shoulders, burying her face into his neck.

"I'm going to miss you so much Sam." She mumbled and Sam wrapped his arms around her waist in response.

"I'm going to miss you too. But we'll visit again, I promise. Maybe even when you're at school." Sam tried to stay as positive as he could, not wanting to seem weak or pathetic in front of Jess.

Jess looked up then and gave him a lingering kiss, bringing her hands up to tangle in his hair. Sam kissed her deeply, savoring the feeling, knowing he wouldn't experience it again for a long time.

"I've had the greatest time with you Sam. I just want you to know that." Jess told him as they broke apart.

Sam smiled gently. "And so have I. But I don't want you to have to wait for someone that you would rarely see. I would love to be with you Jess but we have to face the reality that I travel all around the country. I don't want you to have to deal with that."

"But Sam." Jess looked crestfallen, but part of her expression understood. "I can't imagine feeling as connected with anyone as I do with you."

"I know Jess, trust me, I know. But you can't wait for me because you might never have a chance to be with me. I don't want anything to stop you from meeting other guys. If you like someone and have a feeling that it would work please give it a chance. I just want you to be happy, and not feel any guilt for doing it. Because even though I would want to be with you we have to face the facts and you deserve to have someone that would be there for you. So will you please try?" Sam's heart was breaking at his own words but he knew there was nothing else he could do.

Just like Sam expected, Jess looked upset but understanding. Jess was a smart girl and he knew that she would understand the logic behind what he was saying. "I will try Sam. It will be hard, but I promise you that I will. I don't want you worrying for me. Will you please promise to keep in touch though? No matter what, I don't want you gone from my life completely."

Sam nodded. "You know I'll be there to talk or text whenever you need me. As long as I'm not in the middle of chasing down a ghost or something that is."

That got a laugh out of Jess and she hugged him tightly and kissed him one more time before letting go. She then walked over to Dean and they hugged each other tightly. Jess said something to Dean that Sam couldn't make out and he kissed the top of her head and they pulled away. Sam watched with curiosty as Dean suddenly grinned brightly and whispered one last thing to Jess. Sam flushed because he knew his brother was saying something about him. It had to be embarrassing because Jess howled with laughter and punched his arm. He knew his brother had done it just to make Jess smile and seriously wondered how in the world Dean didn't have any friends.

When the Moores' finished talking with John everyone said their final goodbyes and then they were off.

"You still gonna talk to Jess?" Dean asked Sam casually as they pulled out onto the main road. Sam tried hard not to look behind him at the fading house and family.

"Yeah, we want to keep in touch, she told me to make sure."

Dean's lip twitched. "Funny, she told me to do the same. Said she wanted to talk to me still. I don't see why."

Sam gave Dean an incredulous look. "Because you're her friend Dean. Of course she'll still want to talk to you!"

Dean cocked his head to the side as they entered the freeway following their father. It seemed like he wasn't sure what to think of this. Sadly Sam noted that Jess was Dean's first and only friend other than his family. Even Sam had made some sort-of friends later on in high school.

This whole experience with Jess and her family hadn't just been helpful for Sam but for Dean as well. He had a feeling that what should have been another simple salt and burn would turn out to be a pivotal part in their lives. He knew for sure that he would never forget that week in Michigan and his mind couldn't help but wander to how different their lives could be if they had stayed there.

But wondering about those things wouldn't help anything. He did love his life and he loved his family. Sam stared out of the window in front of them and concentrated on the feeling of being out on the road again.


	14. Sequel Note

Hi everyone. For those of you who didn't already know, I just posted the next story in this series a few days ago. Check it out if you want on my profile. It's called "More Than Meets the Eye".


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